The Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) sent out a message in March with the title “Working hours have never been so low except in the Corona year 2020.” And in fact: the number of hours worked annually was 1,270.5 hours in 2023 . Only a good two hours less than the previous year, but almost 200 hours less than in 1991, when the IAB started this survey.
Something similar can be seen in the number of overtime hours: an employee worked an average of 13.2 paid overtime hours in 2023, compared to 46.3 in 1991. The number of unpaid overtime hours has not fallen quite as much. From 29.9 to 18.4 last year. Even if the stakes were lower, the Germans did not completely lose their sense of duty and perhaps even the enjoyment of their job.