In Germany, there is a discussion about the 4-day work week. In Greece, a 6-day work week was initiated a year ago to combat the skilled labor shortage.
Europe has been discussing the 4-day work week for some time now. In Iceland, successful trials have been conducted so far, and other European countries are open to the idea.
In Germany, the debate about whether to implement a 4-day work week has been ongoing, but if so, it would come with significant caveats, assuming the will of the federal government is followed. In contrast, Greece is going in the opposite direction: a 6-day work week was introduced on July 1, 2024 (via tagesschau.de).
What kind of regulation is this? Since July 1, 2024, Greeks can work a sixth day of the week, usually with significant bonuses on their wages:
- For this sixth working day, employees receive a wage increase of 40 percent on Saturdays.
- On Sundays or public holidays, the increases are even 115 percent.
The extension of working hours is voluntary and requires the consent of the employees.
The fight against skilled labor shortage and illegal work
Why was this regulation introduced? The Greek government has two goals in mind. On one hand, it aims to combat the skilled labor shortage, and on the other hand, to address illegal work or unreported overtime.
During the financial crisis, many well-educated young people emigrated from Greece and are now missing in this European country.
The German alternative: Germany is looking for solutions to its problems in a different way: instead of addressing the skilled labor shortage with longer working hours, it prefers to tackle it through migration by creating incentives for qualified immigrants. This is reported by Deutschlandfunk: A corresponding measure was passed by the Bundestag in 2023. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs refers to this as the “Federal Government’s Skilled Labor Strategy.”
In Greece, employees work the longest hours
Why is the regulation being criticized? Critics are outraged over the new regulation and consider the 6-day work week as exploitation of workers. In Greece, most people already work long hours. This is reported by Deutschlandfunk. Critics argue that the working hours for Greeks will increase even more in the future.
In a European comparison, the Greek population works an average of 41 hours per week according to statistics, as shown by the Federal Statistical Office.
- Critics warn of fatigue and higher health costs for employees.
- Others add: longer working hours do not automatically lead to higher output, but can quickly have the opposite effect.
A young boss, however, explained that in his company, one must even work 80 hours per week. However, this meets with little positive feedback. He defends himself: as a start-up, they have to compete with significant competition: The 22-year-old CEO of a company demands that his employees work 80 hours a week: “We do not offer a work-life balance”
