Overview
- Official IAB labour‑time accounting for the second quarter of 2026 shows the part‑time share at 40.3 percent with about 16.9 million part‑time and 25.1 million full‑time workers.
- The IAB attributes the rise to job growth in health, social services and education where part‑time work is common while the manufacturing sector lost many full‑time positions.
- The shift is long running: part‑time employment has more than doubled since 1991 and part‑time weekly hours have risen from about 16.5 to 18.9 hours while full‑time hours edged down to about 38.3 hours.
- Complementary data show unmet hour preferences and changing work patterns: Destatis found 3.8 million people wanted shorter hours in 2025 and 1.5 million wanted longer hours, and media reports note a 2.5 percent rise in secondary jobs year‑on‑year.
- The record triggers policy debate over limits on non‑need part‑time work proposed by the Mittelstands‑ und Wirtschaftsunion and counterarguments from unions and social groups stressing childcare, care infrastructure and pension protection for mainly female part‑time workers.