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Part-Time Work Reaches Record Share in Germany as Full-Time Hours Fall

Mikrozensus first results show stronger part-time intensity and wide gender and age gaps that could increase pressure on labour‑market policy

Overview

  • Destatis reports that 31.9% of dependent employees worked part time in 2025, the highest share on record for the Mikrozensus sample.
  • Average weekly hours fell for full‑time workers to 39.9 hours compared with 40.5 hours in 2015 while part‑time hours rose to 21.3 hours, two hours more than in 2015.
  • Women remain far more likely to work part time than men, with 50.6% of women and 14.3% of men in part‑time jobs, and 66.4% of employed mothers with children under 18 working part time versus 8.6% of fathers.
  • Part‑time employment grows with age: more than half of 65‑year‑olds in work were in part time and about 90% of 70‑year‑olds worked reduced hours, showing retirement‑age labour is heavily part‑time.
  • The figures cover dependent employees aged 15 and over in main‑residence households and are presented as first Mikrozensus results that policy makers may use when weighing measures to bolster labour supply and skilled‑worker availability.