Will longer working hours break the part-time trap in Germany?

Will longer working hours break the part-time trap in Germany?

Work in Germany has changed significantly in recent years. According to the current figures from daily news The average weekly working time of full-time employees in Germany is 40.2 hours. This is just below the EU average of 40.3 hours. What is striking is the high part-time rate in Germany, which at 29% is very important among those in employment between the ages of 15 and 64. Only in the Netherlands (43%) and Austria (31%) is the proportion even higher.

The current total weekly working hours of all employed people in Germany is 34.8 hours, which is below the EU average of 37.1 hours. What is also interesting here is that the average weekly working time for part-time employees rose to 21.8 hours in 2024, compared to 19.3 hours in 2014. In the EU, this number also grew, from 20.6 to 22.0 hours.

Changes in the labor market

The trend towards part-time work is increasing. Women in particular are conquering the part-time market, where 48% of them work in part-time jobs. For comparison, only 12% of men work in this form of work. On average across the EU, 28% of women and 8% of men work part-time. The employment rate in Germany was at a record high of 77% in 2024, exceeding the EU average of 71%. This is a sign that more and more people are entering the job market, even if the idea of ​​longer working hours is constantly discussed due to the current economic situation.

The federal government is planning a new regulation to introduce a maximum weekly working time. This is causing discussions, especially among unions that reject the abolition of maximum daily working hours. Yvonne Lott from the Hans Böckler Foundation emphasizes that long working hours are not a solution for people with care obligations. She sees the high employment rate of women as a positive trend and calls for a better balance of family and work through suitable working time models.

Legal framework

When it comes to flexibility in the workplace, it is important to keep the legal aspects in mind. Employees who work in a job-sharing model are not forced to fill in for missing colleagues if this would mean an extension of their working hours. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs explains this in its FAQs on part-time work. An agreement between employer and employee is necessary to establish a duty of representation, based on urgent operational needs. These could include threatened production interruptions.

In summary, developments on the labor market are complex. The increase in part-time work shows the flexibility and changes in Germans' working lives. Given the challenges that come with implementing fair working hours, it is to be hoped that the right solutions will be found to meet both the needs of employees and the requirements of companies. For further information on working time models and their design, it is worth taking a look at the website working time-klug-gestalten.de.