In reunified Germany, people have never worked as hard as they will in 2023. At the same time, however, the average weekly working hours of employees has continuously fallen.
Despite the economic downturn, according to a study, people are working more in Germany than ever before. Last year, dependent employees worked a total of around 55 billion hours, according to one Study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) emerges. This is the highest value since reunification.
In 1991 there were still 52 billion hours, and at the lowest point in 2005 it was only 47 billion hours. At the same time, however, the average weekly working hours of employees are continually falling. The analysis is based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and the National Accounts (VGR).
Women’s potential partially unused
“The overall volume of work has increased primarily because more and more women are working,” said study author Mattis Beckmannshagen. “However, almost half of women in Germany work part-time, although some would like to work more.” Their potential for the labor market therefore remains partially unused. The high part-time rate leads to a relatively low average working time of 34.7 hours per week for all employees.
According to the information, women’s labor force participation in Germany rose by 16 points to 73 percent between 1991 and 2022. This reflects the social change from a single-earner to a two-earner household. However, women still spend significantly more time on child care and housework than men. When it comes to paid work, the situation is still exactly the opposite: women work an average of around 33 hours, while men work 40 hours.
According to the DIW, men’s average weekly working hours have fallen slightly since 2011, but they are only slowly catching up when it comes to care and housework. If the current trend continues, it will take decades before men and women spend the same amount of time on childcare, especially when it comes to childcare, according to the researchers.
DIW recommends reform Income tax classes
The working hours realized do not necessarily correspond to the wishes of the employees: according to the study, the proportion of women who want to increase their working hours is higher than that of men. The scientists also found that women in West Germany are more often underemployed than in East Germany. For men, however, there are no regional differences.
In addition, marginally employed people of both genders are particularly often underemployed. An extension of working hours seems to fail due to the monthly earnings limit for a mini-job (currently 538 euros), it said. “In order to meet the need for skilled workers, women’s labor market potential should be better utilized and false incentives eliminated,” said study author Annika Sperling.
Reforms to income tax brackets and spouse splitting could make it more worthwhile for women as second earners to extend their working hours beyond the mini-job limit. However, this also requires a fairer distribution of tasks between the genders when it comes to childcare and household chores. Politicians could support this development with additional daycare places and parental leave regulations for fathers.