The structure of family employment is changing, with fewer couples conforming to the traditional model where one partner is the primary earner while the other is minimally or not employed. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), first results from the 2025 microcensus reveal significant shifts in the employment status of the roughly 14 million couples (aged 15 to 64) counted that year.
For the 2025 data, over two-thirds (68.8%) of all couples in the working age bracket were employed substantively-meaning both partners were engaged in employment beyond a minimal level. Only one in four couples (25.2%) showed the pattern where one person was minimally or not working, and the second was substantively employed. Furthermore, the proportion of couples where both individuals were minimally or not employed fell to 6.0%.
This represents a notable change when compared to the same demographic in 2015. In 2015, the percentage of couples where only one person was minimally or not employed stood at a higher rate of 32.5%. Conversely, the proportion of couples where both partners were substantively working had increased considerably, reaching 59.8% that year. It is estimated that a key driver behind this overall development is the trend of many people transitioning from minimal employment to substantive employment, even if only part-time. In 2015, the share of households where both partners were minimally or not employed was 7.7%.
