Overview
- The HDI/YouGov Berufestudie, fielded June 10–July 3, 2026, found 59% of employed Germans say they work only or mainly for the money, a jump of 17 percentage points from a year earlier.
- More than half of workers said they would stop working as soon as they could afford to, with 54% of those aged 15–54 and 63% of those aged 55–64 reporting they would leave work if they no longer needed the income.
- Respondents expressed mixed views on artificial intelligence: about a quarter expect or already see AI improving productivity and reducing routine tasks, while 42% expect AI will cause job cuts and 9% have seen cuts in their own circles.
- Survey respondents singled out specific jobs as most at risk from AI, naming IT developers (41%), finance and tax advisers (38%), advertising and marketing roles (36%), and administrative clerks (35%), while only 3% saw cooks as replaceable.
- HDI and the reporting note this is part of a multi-year trend: the share working mainly for pay is nearly double the 2019 level, raising questions about recruitment, retention and the need for employer-led retraining programs.