# Planning the retirement wave: age structure analysis, knowledge transfer, transition models > 13.3 million people in employment will reach retirement age by 2040. How companies can make their own retirement wave visible, secure experiential knowledge, and shape transitions with phased retirement and continued employment. URL: https://techport.ai/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt/ruhestand-wissenstransfer --- 1. [HR Consulting](/en/hr-beratung)/ 2. [Mobility and Leavers](/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt)/ 3. Retirement and knowledge transfer [Mobility and Leavers](/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt) # Retirement and knowledge transfer By Redaktion techport.ai, HR-Beratung · Last updated on 21 August 2026 According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office from June 2026, around 13.3 million people in employment will reach the statutory retirement age by 2040, representing 30 percent of all people currently available to the labour market. In industrial companies, the proportion in key technical functions is often higher, as the workforce there is older than average. The knowledge these individuals take with them is not in any manual: how the old system reacts, which supplier is reliable, why the design looks the way it does. The retirement wave is the most predictable personnel risk there is. The date of birth is in the system. Nevertheless, in most companies, it is treated as an isolated case when the pension application arrives. ## How you will notice it * The age structure is known but not evaluated per department and role. * Knowledge transfer begins in the last four weeks before departure, if at all. * Transition models are negotiated individually. Some receive partial retirement, others do not, without a discernible rule. * Return after retirement as a consultant or part-time employee is improvised. ## Why this happens Retirement is far in the future for every individual, until it isn't. No one is responsible for looking at the bigger picture. And knowledge transfer is work without immediate return, which gets lost in day-to-day business unless someone plans and pays for it. ## How we proceed 1. **Evaluate age structure.** From the HR system, we extract the age distribution per department, job family, and critical role, with a forecast for five and ten years. The picture is usually clearer than expected. 2. **Identify knowledge holders.** Together with the departments, we identify roles and individuals whose knowledge is undocumented and irreplaceable. There are simple criteria for this: How long does it take for someone else to master the task? 3. **Plan transfer.** For each of these roles, knowledge transfer begins two to three years before the expected departure: tandems, documentation of decision logic, daily accompaniment, case studies. Time for this is planned, not merely hoped for. 4. **Regulate transitions.** We define models for transition: partial retirement, reduced working hours, continued employment beyond the standard retirement age, return as a specialist on demand. With clear prerequisites, so they do not need to be negotiated. ## What you gain from this * No key knowledge leaves the company unannounced. * Older employees stay longer because the transition suits them. * Succession planning has a time horizon that enables development. ## From our projects The age structure analysis per critical role is, in our projects, the evaluation that most frequently triggers a management board meeting. The figures were in the system, but no one had sliced them by role. Knowledge transfer that begins earlier than two years before departure almost always succeeds, in our experience. Transfer that takes place in the last three months becomes documentation that no one reads. ## Good to know The figures for the age structure of the working population are published annually by [Destatis](https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2026/06/PD26_N039_13.html). Continued employment after reaching the standard retirement age is legally straightforward under employment law if agreed before the end of the employment relationship, which § 41 SGB VI (German Social Code Book VI) explicitly permits. Since 2010, there has been no funding for partial retirement from the Federal Employment Agency, but the model remains possible and is regulated in many collective agreements. ## Frequently asked questions How do you document experiential knowledge that cannot be written down? Through accompaniment, not through manuals. Tandems, where the successor works alongside for a year, case discussions where decisions are explained, and short videos on typical situations achieve more than any documentation. When should we talk to employees about retirement? From around 58 years of age in every development discussion, openly and without pressure. Many want to stay longer if asked and if the conditions are right. Knowing this is the most important planning factor. ## Let's talk about Retirement and knowledge transfer In a thirty-minute first call we clarify where your biggest lever is and whether we are the right partner for it. [Book a first call](/en/kontakt)[Our consulting](/en/so-funktionierts) ## Further reading [Strategy and PlanningSuccession Planning and Critical RolesSuccession planning in four steps: identify critical roles, build a successor pool, implement development plans, review annually. With a focus on age structure and knowledge loss.](/en/hr-beratung/strategie-und-planung/nachfolgeplanung)[Mobility and LeaversOffboarding without knowledge lossWhen someone leaves, open access, lost knowledge, and an impression remain. How offboarding runs as a process within the system: handover, deprovisioning, exit interview, alumni.](/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt/offboarding)[Strategy and PlanningStrategic Workforce PlanningStrategic Workforce Planning for SMEs: Plan skills instead of positions, calculate scenarios, factor in demographics and the shortage of skilled labour. Approach, benefits and figures.](/en/hr-beratung/strategie-und-planung/personalplanung)[KnowledgeHR MetricsDefinitions and formulas that read the same across the company.](/en/hr-beratung/kennzahlen)[KnowledgeHR Regulatory RadarWhat applies, what is coming, what to do now.](/en/hr-beratung/regulatorik-radar) Back to the field [Mobility and Leavers](/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt) ## Sources * [Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office), Press Release No. N039 of June 2026: Working population at retirement age until 2040](https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2026/06/PD26_N039_13.html) * [Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (German Economic Institute), Deschermeier/Schaefer: The Baby Boomers Reach Retirement Age (2026)](https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/philipp-deschermeier-holger-schaefer-die-babyboomer-erreichen-das-rentenalter.html) * [§ 41 SGB VI (German Social Code Book VI), old-age pension and protection against dismissal](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_6/__41.html) Rt Written by [Redaktion techport.ai](/ueber-uns), HR-Beratung Mehr als 15 Jahre Erfahrung in HR-Prozessen und HR-Systemen, Einführung von HR-Software in mittelständischen Unternehmen, Verhandlung von Betriebsvereinbarungen zu IT-Systemen. This page reflects the position as at the date shown and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions we work together with your legal advisers. [More about us](/en/ueber-uns) More from techport.ai [ Software Custom process software for mid-sized companies. ](/en/loesungen)[ IT consulting Strategy, architecture, operations and security. ](/en/it-beratung)[ IT maturity check Ten minutes to a clear position. ](/en/it-beratung/reifegrad-check)[ HR maturity check 24 statements, a result per field. ](/en/hr-beratung/reifegrad-check)[ Funding BAFA grant plus more than 50 programmes for delivery. ](/en/foerderung)[ Process in practice How workflows become reliable software. ](/en/sop-praxis)[ Data and AI Analysis, forecasts and assistance systems. ](/en/daten-ki)[ About us The people behind techport.ai. ](/en/ueber-uns)