Little overtime, many absences due to illness: According to the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, people in Germany worked less last year than at any time since 2020.
People in Germany worked less last year than at any time since the Corona year 2020. “The highest level of sickness, the least overtime, the most part-time work (…),” said Enzo Weber from the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, summing up the past year.
Employees in Germany worked an average of 1,342 hours in 2023 – 0.3 percent less than in the previous year and 2.2 percent less than before the pandemic.
With an average of 15.2 working days, according to IAB information, employees were on sick leave last year for longer than ever since 1991 – an increase of a good six percent compared to the already high level in 2022. The reasons for the sick notes were primarily colds and respiratory infections .
The number of paid and unpaid overtime hours fell in 2023, while the part-time rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 39 percent compared to the previous year. The number of part-time employees increased by 1.6 percent more than the number of full-time employees increased by 0.4 percent. The number of mini-jobs also increased in 2023 compared to the previous year, but was still significantly below the level in 2019.
The number of employed people increased by 340,000 in 2023 and reached a new high with an annual average of 45.93 million. They worked 61.66 billion hours last year – 0.4 percent more than in 2022, but less than in the pre-Corona year of 2019. “Employment continues to increase even in the economic downturn. But 1.5 percent more people in employment worked a total of 0 “8 percent fewer hours than in 2019,” explained Weber.
Source: Stern
