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Can fewer public holidays boost Germany's economy?
DW (English)
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5/28/2025
As Germany's baby boomer generation retires and more people prefer part-time work, economists are in favor of abolishing a public holiday or two. This has sparked heated debate.
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00:00
While it might look like Jonas Enderlein is currently sitting alone in front of his computer at work,
00:06
he's actually floating above the rooftops of Potsdam.
00:11
His company offers digital solutions to large real estate firms.
00:16
It scans and digitizes the conditions of rooftops,
00:20
and then matches the firms with local roofing companies to carry out repairs.
00:25
Enderlein's 40 employees are based all over Germany and mostly work from home.
00:30
Depending on the region, they have a different number of public holidays, which can complicate teamwork.
00:35
We have to be aware that we are simply no longer the world leader in many sectors in Germany.
00:40
And the question is, how do we get back there?
00:43
Working less is not a good alternative.
00:45
You have to ask yourself, do we really need all these public holidays?
00:49
Or could we put them on a weekend?
00:53
Enderlein is not alone.
00:55
Many companies and trade associations in Germany are calling for Germans to work more
01:01
in view of demographic trends and the poor economic performance of many indicators.
01:06
After all, their working hours are rather low compared to the rest of Europe.
01:10
According to the OECD, a German employee worked an average of 1,343 hours in 2023.
01:16
That was 92 hours less than in Austria, 186 hours less than in Switzerland, and 391 hours less than in Italy.
01:23
We have a clear disadvantage here.
01:28
And there can't be any limits to thinking about solutions.
01:31
It doesn't matter whether it's public holidays, all the people working longer before retirement,
01:35
or families and parents working longer.
01:38
But something has to be done.
01:40
Germany has fewer public holidays than other European nations like Austria and Malta, which both have 13.
01:46
Here, there are at least 10 public holidays, plus more, depending on which German state you're looking at.
01:53
And according to a survey by the Insta-Institute, 57% of Germans are against the idea of abolishing a public holiday,
02:00
while only 34% support it.
02:03
Impossible.
02:03
There are plenty of public holidays everywhere, and working longer is not possible.
02:09
But people seem to have voted for these sorts of bad policies.
02:12
So what can you do?
02:14
And how do you see it?
02:14
There are pros and cons.
02:18
My husband has a company, and he's always struggling with public holidays.
02:21
That impacts who is working when.
02:24
Everything should be standardized.
02:26
I don't think the problem is that people don't work enough.
02:30
Rather, we need to look at how we can create better working conditions, that they can be more productive.
02:34
According to German Economic Institute calculations, one less public holiday a year could mean an increase in economic output by up to 0.2%.
02:44
That's 8.6 billion euros.
02:47
Another area of debate?
02:48
More people in Germany are working part-time.
02:51
According to the Institute for Employment Research, this part-time rate has risen to nearly 40%,
02:56
because sectors in which part-time work is widespread, like health care and education, are growing, while industry is in crisis.
03:04
Some German business associations say this shift is contributing to lower economic growth.
03:09
There are only 25 million full-time employees, and that's why we are at such a disadvantage internationally.
03:17
So if people in other countries are more committed to their companies, spending more time working and producing more goods and services,
03:25
then this is going to be reflected in their country's prosperity.
03:28
For Jonas Enderlein's company and many others, more flexible working hours would be particularly helpful.
03:37
I really don't like that we are taking a stricter part than even the EU allows us to take with the maximum daily working time.
03:46
Meanwhile, labor unions are warning against discussions about the fact that Germans supposedly work too little.
03:52
In reality, mental stress and burnout are on the rise, as health insurance companies and sick leave statistics show.
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