"A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that Germans work the least among its member countries, clocking in at 1,335 hours per person per year in 2023, compared to 1,496 hours in the U.K. and 1,805 hours in the U.S. In response, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germans need to work harder to make the economy more productive, as it hasn't grown much in the past five years."
"Across Europe, the average number of hours worked by full-time employees in their main job was 36 hours in 2024, according to Eurostat. In addition to working fewer hours, each hour is less productive. German labor productivity per hour worked was 1.7% lower in the second quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2023, according to European Central Bank data. It's also been essentially flat since 2009."
Average German workweek is about 34 hours, below the EU average of 36 hours and lower than France and Greece. OECD data show Germans logged 1,335 hours per person in 2023, versus 1,496 in the U.K. and 1,805 in the U.S. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for working more and more efficiently to boost productivity after limited growth. Eurostat identifies Netherlands, Austria and Germany among the lowest weekly hours, while Greece, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria rank highest. German hourly labor productivity fell 1.7% year-on-year in Q2 and has been essentially flat since 2009. About 11% of the workforce faces retirement within ten years.
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