Katja Hoyer: “You can’t combat bad work ethic with pressure and empty phrases.”
Most Germans are only doing the bare minimum in their jobs. Katja Hoyer explains why this is the case and why Germany could be plunged into a major crisis.
In the commotion surrounding the Iran-Israel war this week, one piece of news was almost lost: According to government figures, the state is paying around seven billion euros to workers whose incomes are insufficient to live on. In other words: More than 800,000 people in Germany work but are still so poor that they cannot support themselves. This number of "top-up recipients" has increased for the first time since 2015.
This is not only a problem for the people affected and for the national budget, but also effectively means taxpayers subsidizing the low-wage sector. In addition, there are approximately two million workers who compensate for the lost income by taking on a second or even third job. The " second job rate " has more than doubled since 1990. According to the current Paritätische Poverty Report, almost two-thirds of all adults living below the poverty line are employed or retired.
These problems exist in other countries too. In a small town in England where I live, I recently saw a sign in a bakery. They were looking for a new baker with full training and at least three years of professional experience (including in "continental European" breads). The position would be hourly, although you would be expected to work 40 to 45 hours a week, including night shifts. Salary: £20,000 to £25,000 per year. Generally, an annual income of £28,000 is considered necessary to ensure a minimum acceptable standard of living. The baker in question would therefore literally toil day and night, unable to even survive on their salary.
No matter how you look at it, behind all these figures lies a relationship between employer and employee that views the latter solely as a cost factor. They create employment relationships that can be scaled up or down as needed, pay the bare minimum, and—as far as possible—save the ancillary costs, which the state, i.e., other taxpayers, are then expected to cover. And if it's not enough to live on, the state is expected to top it up again.
What makes Germany special in this regard is, on the one hand, the magnitude of its low-wage sector. According to the Federal Statistical Office, almost one in five jobs is low-wage, meaning less than 60 percent of the median gross hourly earnings. Compared to other European countries, this is well above the average. Only Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Bulgaria rank higher. On the other hand, the culture of interchangeability in Germany also affects high earners and accordingly erodes morale.
A highly acclaimed study by the Gallup Institute for the 2024 Gallup Engagement Index found that Germans' emotional commitment to their employers has collapsed. According to the study, 78 percent of employees are only doing the bare minimum in their jobs. Almost half of employees have already quit internally and are actively looking for alternatives. This is a record high , the study states. In 2019, the figure was 27 percent.
Have the Germans become lazy?German media coverage often focuses on workers. Questions like "Have Germans become lazy?" and "Has Germany become a land of listlessness?" are highly popular. Demands from politics and business point in the same direction. Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of the so-called Economic Experts Group, which analyzes Germany's economic development for the government, has, for example, advocated for curbing sick leave. She believes that people with office jobs "might be able to work for a certain amount of time despite a broken leg."
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also putting pressure on the government to solve the problem. "We need to work more and, above all, more efficiently in this country," he emphasized. "With a four-day week and work-life balance, we won't be able to maintain this country's prosperity." He did put the whole thing into perspective, saying "one can't just say across the board that Germans work too little," but the direction is clear.
According to a study by the employer-friendly German Economic Institute (IW), Germans of working age between 15 and 64 actually work significantly less than people in most comparable countries, with approximately 1,036 hours worked per year, and rank third from last among OECD countries. But I doubt that pressure on workers can be the sole answer.
Germans didn't suddenly wake up and decide they no longer enjoy working. Where are the demands on employers to improve conditions, create a positive working environment, pay fair wages, and treat their employees as individuals who want to develop and whose performance is valued?
Anyone who expects people in Germany to work more and longer must organize this work meaningfully and not just think about how to tighten the screws. This will not combat poor work ethic, nor "internal resignation," and certainly not conditions in which people are poor despite working—the most demotivating factor of all.
Global conflicts aside, Germany is heading for a major internal crisis if it doesn't finally start seriously considering how to improve work. Debates about minimum wages, parental leave, and the shortage of skilled workers should be part of the discussion, but not limited to them. The Gallop Institute, mentioned above, has also pointed to a leadership crisis in German companies. Almost all German managers (97 percent) consider themselves good, while the majority of their employees (69 percent) say they work in teams led by poor managers. Therefore, in addition to all the political and economic measures that can be discussed, a cultural change is also needed. This includes issues such as training, childcare, and more modern work through technology and flexibility.
In short: The problem of work is complex and should not be dismissed with empty phrases and supposedly simple solutions, or put off because more acute crises are supposedly on the horizon. The government now has the money, with its enormous special fund, and, with four years, the time to seriously address this issue and pursue long-term solutions.
Work is more than an economic factor. It is an identity-forming part of our lives and our society. If it becomes merely a compulsion, more than just prosperity will be destroyed.
Berliner-zeitung
