The German politics demands more work from the Germans. However, many are already working significantly more than they officially should.
If we go by German politics, Germans are working too little. There have been various demands for some time: From the abolition of part-time to additional working hours, various options are being discussed.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) stated that he would like to see fewer sick days and demanded (via tagesschau.de):
With work-life balance and a four-day week, we cannot maintain the prosperity of our country. We need to work more.
However, many people in Germany are already working significantly more. And some are even working twice as much as they officially should.
In Germany, many people work more than 40 hours a week
What does the situation look like? Many people in Germany are already working longer than the 40 hours currently officially prescribed: According to the Federal Statistical Office, which analyzes the numbers, about 7.2% of full-time employees indicated that they usually work more than 48 hours a week in 2025.
The long working hours primarily affect the self-employed (36%), agricultural professionals (25.1%), and employees in academic professions (9.7%).
The fact that Germans, on average, work less than the EU average is primarily due to one fact: Many people in Germany work part-time, which lowers the total working hours. This is evident from a report from Tagesschau: Almost 30% of local employees work part-time. And it is these working hours, which often range between 20 and 30 hours per week, that lower the average compared to other countries, where part-time work plays little to no role.
Who works 80 hours? Bavarian Broadcasting interviewed a baker who works about 80 hours a week, specifically 14 hours a day. She works 4 days a week in her bakery, and 2 days in a bar, where she mixes cocktails. She has one day, Sunday, off to recover from work. People like the baker can only smile tiredly at the demands for more work, as they are already doing significantly more.
Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI and main developer of ChatGPT, explains that 34 professions could never be replaced by AI. Unsurprisingly, these are primarily physical jobs. The baker likely does not have to worry about her job in the future: The inventor of the AI ChatGPT reveals which 34 professions AI can never replace.
