- Germany witnesses an all-time high in work hours per week
Despite a financial standstill, Germany witnessed an unprecedented volume of work completed during Q2 of 2024, with a total of 14.7 billion hours clocked, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, as per the Research Institute for Employment (IAB) in Nuremberg. IAB labor market analyst Enzo Weber commented, "Never before in Germany has so much work been accomplished... right in the heart of an economic struggle."
The second quarter of 2019 saw 14.6 billion work hours. However, Weber reminded, "Further progress isn't automatic." "Employment growth is flattening out," he stated, "part-time employment is inching towards 40%, overtime hours are at an all-time low."
More Part-Time, Less Overtime
The total workforce swelled by 0.4% annually to 46.1 million in Q2 of 2024. The average work hours per person also rose by 0.4% annually to 318.2 hours. The part-time employment rate increased by 0.5 percentage points to 39.8%.
The number of part-time employees increased by 1.6%, while the number of full-time employees dropped by 0.3%. Weber attributed this to the growth in sectors with high part-time prevalence, like healthcare and social services, as well as education.
At the same time, the number of overtime hours dropped by 0.3 hours. On average, employees worked 2.9 paid and 4.1 unpaid overtime hours in Q2 of 2024.
The Research Institute for Employment (IAB) in Nuremberg reported that the part-time employment rate increase in Q2 of 2024 was driven by sectors like healthcare and social services, as mentioned by IAB labor market analyst Enzo Weber. Despite the rise in part-time employment, Weber emphasized that further progress isn't guaranteed, as employment growth is flattening out and overtime hours are at an all-time low, as per the IAB.
