Half of employees in Germany will work less

According to a survey by Xing, around half of employees in Germany want to work less. Around a third – 34 percent – would even accept less pay for more vacation days, according to a survey commissioned by the career network.

According to the survey, many employees feel the effects of unfilled positions in their company. Over 40 percent of respondents reported that their companies had difficulties finding suitable staff. In addition, 30 percent said that they were suffering from increased workloads and a bad mood in the workplace.

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Baby boomers and Generation X believe that extra work is not necessary

Despite these problems, six out of ten respondents reject the idea of ​​working more to meet these challenges. While 63 percent of baby boomers and generation

Nubia Navarro

The survey found that with the right financial incentives, many respondents could imagine working extra hours. Popular incentives include bonuses and premiums, higher pay or extra vacation days.

Thomas Kindler, Managing Director of Xing, commented: “These results show that employees in Germany are less willing than ever to subordinate their private lives to their job, unless the conditions are right.”

Xing/Appinio

In 2023, the average weekly working hours in Germany were 34.4 hours. This is below the European average of 36.9 hours. Nevertheless, the Xing survey shows that 49 percent of respondents would like to reduce their working hours.

49 percent of Germans would like to reduce their working hours

This desire is strongest among Generation Z at 53 percent, followed by 50 percent of Millennials and 48 percent of Generation X. Among baby boomers approaching retirement, only 37 percent said they would reduce their working hours. Only nine percent of those surveyed would like to work more.

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Men say they have a better work-life balance

About half of employees are also “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their work-life balance. However, women are less satisfied (49 percent) than men, with 55 percent of them perceiving their work-life balance as balanced.

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LinkedIn

The results of the labour market report in figures

• 58 percent of German workers see no need for additional work in order to secure prosperity in the long term.
• Sixty-three percent of Baby Boomers and Generation X believe that additional working hours are not necessary to counteract economic problems.
• In comparison, Millennials and Generation Z rate the need for overtime more highly, but here too there is a clear preference for shorter working hours.

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