According to a recent survey by Forsa for RTL and ntv, most Germans are open to changing how daily work time is regulated. Sixty‑eighty‑percent support abolishing the current eight‑hour rule and instead imposing a hard limit of 40 hours per week; 37 percent oppose the change. Among employees in traditional employment contracts, 57 percent favour an amendment, but the strongest reservations lie among people in eastern Germany (45 percent), AfD supporters (50 percent) and especially supporters of the Left (57 percent).
The present law caps an employee’s daily working hours at eight, allowing up to 48 hours over a normal week. In terms of part‑time work, 38 percent argue that the right to part‑time should be limited to specific circumstances such as child‑raising or caring for relatives, while a clear majority-59 percent-rejects such a restriction. Only a slim majority of CDU/CSU voters (53 percent) support limiting the part‑time entitlement.
The poll was carried out between 30 January and 2 February and included 1,001 respondents.