The head of IW suggests the elimination of public holidays.
Top German economist Michael Hüther suggests that workers in the country should be encouraged to work more hours to meet the increasing demand for labor. This could be achieved through measures such as reducing the number of holidays. However, feminist Teresa Bücker argues for more shared care work between fathers and mothers, suggesting that a redistribution of working hours is needed to achieve equality in the workplace.
Hüther, head of the Institute of the German Economy (IW), explains that Germany needs an additional 4.2 billion working hours by the end of the decade, even with the assumption of 200,000 net migrant workers each year. To achieve this, he believes that the current holiday system could be adjusted or a few holidays could be cut. He points to Switzerland as an example, where employees work 100 hours more on average per year than in Germany. "From an economist's perspective, it's just about the total number of hours," says Hüther.
In a debate with Bücker, Hüther discussed the idea of a shorter full-time norm to increase work-life balance and promote equality. Bücker argued that the traditional employment model for parents, with the man working full-time and the woman working part-time, needs to change. "The majority of men continue to work full-time, while women tend to work part-time," she said. The double full-time share among couples is limited, and those who work double part-time are rare. "There's barely any such thing as the modern father," she added.
Bücker believes that a shorter full-time norm would lead to a more equitable distribution of work and care within the family. The average weekly working time for mothers is slightly higher than that of fathers, and mothers cannot increase their working hours without men taking on more family work, according to her. A shorter full-time norm could allow for a more balanced split and potentially even increase the annual working volume, she said.
The debate also touched on the potential consequences of a four-day workweek. Hüther argued that people assume they would only have to work four days under this new system, but everything else would remain the same, including care for their children. This is not feasible, he stated. Introducing the four-day week as the economic maximum could lead to more distribution conflicts than it solves, he added.
In contrast, Bücker believes that a four-day week would motivate employees to return to work after taking time off, resulting in a more equitable division of labor. "We have survey data showing that a four-day week would encourage those who have left their field to come back," she said.
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- The Cologne Institute for Economic Research, citing Germany's labor market challenges, supports Michael Hüther's proposal to address the skills shortage by encouraging employees to work more hours or adjusting the holiday system, such as implementing a four-day week.
- Teresa Bücker, an advocate for equal rights, opposes Hüther's plan, suggesting that instead of eliminating public holidays or reducing working hours, there should be a shift towards a more balanced distribution of care and work responsibilities between parents, particularly in addressing the current imbalance where men mostly work full-time and women part-time.
- The debate also explored the potential impact of a four-day week on parents, with Hüther expressing concerns that it may not be feasible for employees to maintain their work-life balance without adequate childcare support, while Bücker argued that it could motivate parents to return to work and share family responsibilities more equally.
Source: www.ntv.de
