More part-time employees than ever before

Gainful employment - More part-time employees than ever before

More people are working part-time in Germany than ever before. According to a calculation by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, the part-time rate increased by 0.3% to 39.2% in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. "The part-time rate has never been as high as it is today," explained IAB expert Enzo Weber. This is due to an increase in employment in sectors with a high proportion of part-time work, such as the hospitality industry or education.

The number of employees with part-time jobs also increased during this period. According to the IAB, there were 4.47 million people in the third quarter of 2023, 2.9% more than a year earlier. The development is thus following the long-term upward trend from before the pandemic, it said. The number of people with multiple jobs was 410,000 higher than the pre-crisis level. According to the IAB, one in ten employees now has another job.

The weak economy is also having an impact on how much people in Germany are working. Working hours per person fell by 0.7 percent to 342.3 hours in the third quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Employees worked an average of 30.47 hours per week, compared to 30.5 hours in the same quarter of the previous year. "Employment is barely increasing, there is slightly more short-time work again as well as less overtime and payments into working time accounts," said Weber.

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1. Many individuals in Germany are engaged in secondary employment to supplement their primary income, with the number of such workers increasing by 410,000 since the pre-crisis period.
2. Enzo Weber, an expert from the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, attributes the rise in part-time employment to a surge in sectors with high part-time work rates, such as the hospitality industry and education.
3. Overtime work has decreased slightly, contributing to a decrease in the average working hours per week in Germany to 30.47 hours in the third quarter of 2023.
4. As a result of the weak economy, there has been a rise in short-time work, where employees work fewer hours than contractually agreed, and a decrease in overtime and payments into working time accounts.
5. In the third quarter of 2023, the IAB reported an increase of 2.9% in part-time employees compared to the same quarter in the previous year, leading to a total of 4.47 million part-time workers.
6. The part-time rate in Germany increased by 0.3% to 39.2%, which is the highest it has ever been, according to the Institute for Employment Research's calculations.
7. With the ongoing upward trend from before the pandemic and a growing number of people with multiple jobs, one in ten employees now holds a second job in addition to their primary employment in Germany.

Source: www.stern.de