During discussions about limiting the right to part‑time work, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) highlighted that a large share of employees do not voluntarily reduce their hours. “If every part‑time worker could realise their wish for more hours, that would equal 1.4 million full‑time jobs” said IAB labour‑market expert Enzo Weber to “Handelsblatt” in its Monday issue.
Weber also noted untapped potential among those who have not yet considered increasing their working time. “Expanding child‑care provisions raises the desired hours people want. When the conditions improve, people no longer settle for less” he explained.
According to IAB data, the part‑time rate among workers aged 15 to 64 will exceed 40 percent this year, a level that was first crossed in summer 2025. In the 1990s, the rate was just over 20 percent.
The rise, Weber attributes to several factors. More women and older people are joining the labour market, and since many of them work part‑time, the rate goes up. At the same time, full‑time jobs are being lost in industry, further driving the part‑time share up. Moreover, the overall preference for long hours is slightly declining.
The CDU’s economic wing’s proposal to curtail the right to part‑time has drawn criticism from other economists. DIW President Marcel Fratzscher warned “Rheinische Post” that “restricting the entitlement to part‑time would cause significant harm to businesses and the German economy”. He added that many full‑time employees actually desire reduced hours, so such a rule would run counter to the wishes of many Germans, likely reduce employment rather than create it, aggravate the skilled‑worker shortage, and ultimately lead to less growth, lower prosperity, and more corporate insolvencies.
Earlier, it emerged that the CDU’s labour‑sector wing intends to restrict the part‑time entitlement, allowing it only when special reasons exist-such as child‑rearing, caring for relatives, or pursuing further education alongside work.