In the debate over limiting the right to part‑time work, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) points out that a large share of workers do not choose to work fewer hours. “If all part‑time employees were able to realise their wishes to work more hours, that would correspond to 1.4 million full‑time positions” explained IAB labour‑market expert Enzo Weber to the “Handelsblatt” (Monday edition).
Weber added that there is further potential among those who are not yet thinking about increasing their hours: “Expansion of child‑care also raises the desired working hours. If the conditions are improved, people will no longer settle for less”.
According to IAB data, the share of part‑time employment among workers aged 15-64 will be “above 40 percent overall this year” Weber forecasted. This is the first time the ratio has exceeded that threshold since the summer of 2025. In the 1990s it was just below 20 percent.
The recent rise, he said, can be attributed to several factors. More women and older people are entering the labour market, and because many of them work part‑time, the overall part‑time share climbs. At the same time “full‑time jobs are being lost in industry” which further raises the proportion. Moreover, “the overall preference for long working hours is declining”.
The CDU’s economic wing’s push to restrict the right to part‑time work has also attracted criticism from other economists. Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), told the “Rheinische Post”: “Restricting the legal right to part‑time work would do great harm to many companies and the German economy”.
He noted that many full‑time workers would like a shorter working week. “A rule that limits part‑time rights would thus strongly go against the wishes of many Germans. It would tend to reduce rather than increase employment, thereby worsening Germany’s shortage of skilled workers. The consequence will be less growth and prosperity, and a further rise in company insolvencies” he warned.
Earlier it had been revealed that the CDU’s labour wing intends to restrict the right to part‑time work. The right would only be granted in the presence of special reasons, such as child‑rearing, caring for relatives, or pursuing further education while working-criteria set out by the Mittelstands‑ und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT).
