In Germany, more than a quarter (27 percent) of the self-employed worked at least occasionally on weekends in 2023, according to results from the Mikrozensus by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday. The highest proportions were found in the hospitality industry (70 percent), arts, entertainment and recreation (55 percent) and retail, including the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (47 percent). On Saturdays, at least a quarter (25 percent) of all employees worked, while on Sundays, the figure was 15 percent and on public holidays, six percent.
Both male and female employees worked approximately equally often on weekends, with a proportion of 27 percent for men and 26 percent for women. In the hospitality industry, two-thirds (67 percent) of female employees worked on weekends. In retail (52 percent) and the arts, entertainment and recreation sector (51 percent), it was slightly more than half of all female employees. Among men, it was almost three-quarters (74 percent) of employees in the hospitality industry, 60 percent in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector and 46 percent in healthcare and social welfare who worked at least occasionally on weekends.
In addition to busy weekends, evening and night work, as well as shift work, are associated with special burdens for employees. In 2023, a quarter (25 percent) of the self-employed worked at least occasionally in the evening, between 6 p.m. and midnight. Fifteen percent worked at least occasionally in shifts and nine percent worked at night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Among men, these work forms were more common: They performed evening work at 28 percent, shift work at 16 percent and night work at 12 percent. Among women, 23 percent of employees worked at least occasionally in the evening, 13 percent worked in shifts and six percent worked at night.
Half of the self-employed in the hospitality industry (51 percent) worked at least occasionally in the evening in 2023. In the arts, entertainment and recreation sector, it was 46 percent and in healthcare and social welfare, a little over a third (34 percent) worked in the evening. Shift work was most common among employees in healthcare and social welfare (28 percent), the transportation and storage sector (24 percent) and the hospitality industry (21 percent). Night work was particularly prevalent in the transportation and storage sector (22 percent), healthcare and social welfare (16 percent) and hospitality industry (13 percent).
In the European Union (EU), slightly more than 18 percent of the self-employed worked in a shift system in 2023, compared to 15 percent in Germany. The highest proportion of shift workers in the EU was in Greece (36 percent), Romania (34 percent) and Croatia (33 percent). In Denmark, shift work was much less common in the European context (8 percent).