In 2025 the share of part‑time workers in Germany reached a new high, rising by 0.4 percentage points to 39.9 % compared with 2024, according to a labour‑time report released by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) on Tuesday. The average weekly hours worked by part‑time employees were 18.7, only 0.2 hours more than in 2024, showing that this form of employment does not negatively affect overall working time.
The number of part‑time workers – combining regular part‑time staff with those in mini‑jobs – grew by 1.0 % from the year before, while full‑time employment fell by 0.6 %. The rise in the part‑time share is partly due to increased hiring in sectors with high part‑time participation such as health and social services and education, and a decline in the manufacturing sector, which relies more heavily on full‑time workers. While mini‑jobs fell by 0.8 % in 2025, regular part‑time employment is the only employment form that grew on average by 1.8 %.
Enzo Weber, head of the IAB’s Forecasting and Economic Analysis division, noted that part‑time work has not been a “loss business” but highlighted that there is still potential for growth, especially if women’s career development is strengthened.
Total work volume fell by 0.2 % to 61.26 billion hours in 2025. The employment figure remained essentially unchanged, dropping only 5 000 people (0.01 %) to 45.98 million. On average, workers logged 1,332 hours per person, 2.2 hours – or 0.2 % – less than a year earlier. Weber warned that work volume has been stagnating for years and the era of record‑setting levels is over.
About 4.68 million people in Germany, roughly 85 000 more than in 2024, held a secondary job, meaning 11.1 % of all employees performed additional work beyond their main role. These side jobs averaged 287 hours per person, 1.5 hours more than the prior year.
When including secondary employment, the average headcount of dependent workers in 2025 was 1,298 hours. Overtime, both paid and unpaid, decreased compared with the previous year, with workers clocking 11.6 paid and 15.6 unpaid overtime hours on average.
Short‑time work (Kurzarbeit) rose by about 5,000 people, reaching 303,000 participants in 2025, largely due to a crisis in the manufacturing industry. The average loss of working hours per employee increased from 2.9 in 2024 to 3.1 hours in 2025.