Labor market researcher Enzo Weber criticized CSU leader Markus Söder’s proposal for an extra hour of work each week. “It is not the role of politics to dictate how long people should work. Politics should instead create suitable conditions, improve incentives, and provide support” Weber told the “Rheinische Post”. With such a framework in place, he argues, people could then decide for themselves.
Germany will lose a large share of its workforce in the coming years because of aging, so more working hours are indeed needed. However, Weber believes the key levers lie elsewhere. According to him, policy should, for example, alleviate the tax progressivity for lower income levels and expand child care and care services. There is significant gain potential if women’s career development is not stalled during the child‑bearing years and if older workers are retained in the workforce for longer.
Söder had said on Sunday on ARD that an additional hour of work per week would bring significant economic growth and is, in his view, truly not too much to ask.