New incentives planned

Why we should work more again in the future

Since 2010, the average number of hours worked per week by full-time employees has fallen from 41.1 to 39.6.

(Bild: Olga Yastremska, New Africa, Africa Studio)

The government wants to use incentives to reverse the long-standing trend towards fewer real working hours because there is a shortage of skilled workers. The extent to which working hours have fallen and how the willingness to work overtime is to be increased.

Even if it seems otherwise, in the long term we tend to work less and less. Since 2010 alone, the average number of hours worked per week by full-time employees has fallen from 41.1 to 39.6, which is slightly below the EU figure of 40.6.