Overview

• Germany’s part-time workforce climbed to 16.75 million in Q1 2025, a 1.1% rise from a year earlier, while full-time employment fell 0.6% to 25.35 million.
• Part-time employees logged a record average of 18.54 hours per week, even as weekly full-time hours slipped to 38.14.
• Total working volume increased 0.2% year-on-year to 15.66 billion hours, adding about 36 million hours compared to Q1 2024.
• Nearly 49% of employed women worked part-time in 2024, with IG Metall’s Christiane Benner citing childcare shortages as a major barrier to full-time roles.
• Rapid expansion in care and education—sectors with traditionally high part-time rates—has been a key driver of the surge in flexible work arrangements.