The number of students aged 15 to 18 engaging in part-time or holiday work is demonstrably increasing in Germany. According to a response from the Federal Ministry of Labour to a parliamentary inquiry from the Left Party, reported in Wednesday’s edition of “Tagesspiegel”, approximately 351,000 of Germany’s two million students in this age bracket were employed in 2024.
Data indicates a consistent rise in both the absolute and proportional numbers of employed students within this demographic since 2020.
Jan van Aken, Chairman of the Left Party, attributes this trend primarily to inflation and precarious economic circumstances. “Early work experience is certainly a positive, but often it’s a matter of poverty and financial worries driving young people to seek employment” he stated to the newspaper.
He is advocating for increased financial support for working young people, arguing that the exemption of those under 18 without vocational qualifications from the statutory minimum wage is unacceptable. He calls for a universal minimum wage, warning against companies utilizing inexpensive child labor.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposes this proposal. CDU parliamentarian Nora Seitz argues that a minimum wage for students, while superficially appealing, could have unintended consequences. She contends that expanding the minimum wage could jeopardize Germany’s economic competitiveness by making apprenticeships and vocational training less attractive.
Additionally, Seitz raises concerns about increased administrative burdens, arguing that a minimum wage for students could cause individuals to exceed certain income thresholds, leading to more complex bureaucratic requirements. She suggests that “it cannot be in the interest of the young generation to be discouraged from taking a first job due to additional bureaucracy”.
