Working Hours 2025: BiB Data Shows Slight Decline Per Capita

Shift Between Age Groups

The BiB sees several possible causes for this development. On the one hand, employment biographies are changing: people who are 60 or older today continue to work more frequently than previous generations. On the other hand, women's labor force participation is rising, while younger people are increasingly moving into part-time work or training.

Another factor, according to the researchers, is the rising number of retirees who simultaneously work part-time during the transition. People who previously left working life permanently at 63 or 64 are now more likely to remain active – for example, in projects, consulting, or minijobs.

At the same time, the data show that the average weekly working hours have stabilized at around 28 to 30 hours over the past years. The level is considered comparatively moderate by international standards.

Demographic Background

The Federal Institute for Population Research places the figures in the context of an aging society. When the share of people over 60 grows, their working hours gain in macroeconomic importance.

For the coming years, the researchers expect a further shift toward the older age cohorts. This is also linked to demographic effects: the baby boom cohorts of the 1960s are gradually reaching retirement age but remain partly in employment.

Sebastian Klüsener of the BiB sees this as an adjustment response to changing life plans. He points out that longer training periods, later family phases, and more flexible transitions into retirement are making employment trajectories more diverse.

Researchers' Assessment

Harun Sulak, also at the BiB, emphasizes that the shift is no all-clear. If younger age groups work less, this must be taken into account when assessing skills shortages, he said.

Overall, the data point to stability, albeit with structural shifts. The question of how the ratio between employed persons and retirees develops will remain central for the coming decades.

The researchers emphasize that the reported values are averages. Factors such as industry affiliation, region, or individual employment contracts could lead to significantly higher or lower weekly working hours than the average suggests.