The self-employed organisation Uatae has reported that the disparity in pensions received by self-employed workers compared to salaried employees remains “unacceptable,” despite improvements in the average pension across all social security regimes, including the self-employed regime (RETA).
Pension Discrepancy Continues
Uatae highlights that although the average retirement pension for a self-employed worker is currently €1,010.30 per month—€46 more than last year—it is still “well below” the average retirement pensions for salaried employees.
“The gap has barely narrowed in recent years: the average retirement pension for self-employed individuals was 40.6% lower than that of salaried workers in 2021. Now, that difference stands at 39.4%, a reduction of just 1.2 percentage points in four years, meaning it will take over 100 years to equalise the average pensions of both regimes at this rate,” Uatae emphasises.
Call for Reform
“Self-employed workers are the ‘poor pensioners’ or the poorest among pensioners,” states María José Landaburu, General Secretary of Uatae, who is advocating for improved funding for the General Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA).
The organisation specifically requests a “fair and solidarity-based” contribution system based on actual income, “which eliminates over-contribution from low incomes and ensures that those with greater capacity contribute more, thereby enhancing protection for everyone in the sector.”
“The RETA reform that came into effect in 2023 is a step in the right direction as it moves towards a system based on actual income. However, as we have previously stated, we are moving too slowly. We cannot afford to wait 100 years; we must implement a contribution system based on actual income as soon as possible,” Uatae insists.
Impact on Women
The organisation also warns that the situation for female self-employed workers is even worse, as they face a dual disparity in their pensions: both a gender gap and a gap between self-employment and salaried work.
As of July 1 of this year, male self-employed workers received an average retirement pension of €1,123.57 per month, compared to €845.26 for women—a 25% difference. When comparing the average pension of a female self-employed worker with that of a male salaried employee, this gap widens to 55%.
Uatae points out that these differences stem from various factors, including the intermittent contribution careers of female self-employed workers, “the obligation to become self-employed as the only way to enter the labour market,” especially for women aged between 50 and 59 and for migrant women, along with limited funding and a lack of adequate training and advisory tools.
Agencies EP
