Revised: Work Less Than the Dutch and Danes: A Study Finds Germans Have One of the Shortest Work Weeks Among OECD Countries
Research reveals average German work hours are comparatively low
Hear that? The allegations about German laziness in the workforce have been echoing for years, especially from the CDU. But a recent study suggests that, shockingly, Germans actually work less than their counterparts in a significant number of countries!
The Institute of the German Economy (IW), a pro-business research organization, recently published a study showing that Germany is beating its chest more than ever, but still maintaining a relatively short work week compared to other OECD countries. Bild am Sonntag reveals that in 2023, Germans worked around 1,036 hours per inhabitant of working age (15-64 years), placing them in the third-to-last position in an OECD comparison.
Compared to France and Belgium, who apparently can't make it through their daily grind faster than the Germans, the Workaholics of New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and Israel are at the opposite end of the spectrum, with more than 300 hours separating their annual hours worked and that of the Germans.
Political Noise Amplified
In 2023, the working hours ever surpassed those from ten years ago: in 2013, people worked around 1,013 hours. "We work less than in the 1970s, but since reunification, we've been putting in a bit more effort," said IW labor market expert and study author Holger Schäfer to Bild am Sonntag.
Dwindling Employees
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has recently appealed for Germans to pick up the pace. IW President Michael Hüther told Bild am Sonntag, "We face a skilled labor shortage every day. Restaurants frequently remain closed, and daycare centers and small craft businesses struggle due to a lack of skilled workers." Huth warns that Germany will face a shortage of "around 4.2 billion working hours" by the end of the decade.
Women Power!
These numbers reflect the increasing employment of women, who make up 73.6% of the working-age female population in 2023, up significantly from 57% in 1991. The participation of men has also increased to 80.8% from 78.4% in the same timeframe.
Germany boasts one of the highest part-time quotas among Western industrialized nations, with 29.3% of employees working part-time in the fourth quarter of 2024. Experts and associations have been urging the country to improve childcare options to allow more women to work full-time. Approximately 48.7% of employed women work part-time, compared to only 12% of employed men.
In comparison with countries like the Netherlands, known for its shorter working week, and Denmark, with a working week barely an hour shorter than Germany, one wonders if working hard all the time is the key to prosperity. Germany maintains a relatively modest average compared to many other countries worldwide, possibly proving that balance and fulfillment are the real secret to success.
Sources: ntv.de, als/AFP
- Institute of the German Economy Cologne
- OECD
- Labor Market
- Employees
- Working Hours
- Women
- Employment
Additional Facts:
- Countries with the Shortest Working Weeks: The countries with the shortest working weeks, including the Netherlands and Denmark, often boast a better work-life balance and sometimes improved productivity.
- Paris Work Week: Parisians have one of the lowest city-specific working hours, averaging about 1,663 hours per year. However, this data is not directly comparable to national averages.
- Working Hours Annual Comparison: Germany typically averages around 1,600 to 1,700 hours per year, depending on the source and methodology used, making it relatively low compared to many other countries worldwide.
- The Institute of the German Economy's study reveals that despite working fewer hours than a decade ago, Germany still lags behind countries like the Netherlands and Denmark in terms of work hours, sparking discussions about community policy regarding work-life balance and vocational training to foster a more productive workforce.
- Amid calls for increased productivity and a decrease in the shortage of skilled workers, Germany's trend of shorter work weeks, as opposed to countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, might challenge the traditional notion that long working hours lead to prosperity in business and politics, suggesting the importance of work-life balance and vocational training in fostering success.
