(de-news.net) – Boris Rhein (CDU), the minister-president of Hesse, has argued that Germany will need to adapt to longer working hours if it intends to safeguard its long-term economic strength and competitiveness. In advancing this position, he has contrasted domestic debates over reducing working time with recent discussions in Greece concerning the possible introduction of a six-day workweek. Rhein has framed this comparison as illustrative of divergent economic trajectories, using it to support a broader call for a cultural reassessment of work in Germany. In his view, professional effort should not be perceived solely as an economic necessity but also as a source of social value and personal fulfillment. Because sustained prosperity, he contends, cannot be generated through a systematic reduction in labor input, he has warned that Germany risks eroding its economic foundation if it continues to prioritize fewer working hours. Drawing on examples of recovery in countries such as Greece following periods of crisis, Rhein has emphasized the potential benefits of a stronger focus on labor participation and intensity. His argument is underpinned by the principle that individual contribution should shape expectations toward both society and the state, coupled with a renewed emphasis on recognizing performance and effort.
Comparable arguments have recently been articulated at the federal level by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), who has called for reforms that extend beyond the scope of the existing coalition agreement in response to persistently weak economic growth. She has characterized the agreement not as a rigid boundary but as a foundation upon which further measures must be built, stressing that reversing current trends will require a collective increase in overall labor input. According to Reiche, achieving this objective necessitates structural adjustments, particularly within pension policy. This includes an explicit and open debate about longer working lives and, by implication, a higher statutory retirement age. Where such measures prove politically contentious, she has argued that alternative approaches must be pursued, notably the creation of incentives designed to raise weekly working hours. In this context, she has highlighted the importance of encouraging a transition from part-time to full-time employment through targeted financial instruments and the expansion of childcare infrastructure to remove practical barriers to increased labor participation.
Employers back longer working time as SPD pushes back on labor reforms
These reform proposals have been broadly welcomed by employer representatives. Support for a greater emphasis on full-time employment has been expressed by Steffen Kampeter, Managing Director of the German Employers’ Federation (BDA), who has linked higher levels of full-time work to reduced social security contributions and stronger net incomes for employees. From his perspective, demographic trends, improved health outcomes, and rising life expectancy make longer working lives increasingly plausible and economically rational. At the same time, the initiatives have met with firm resistance from the Social Democratic Party. SPD parliamentarian Ralf Stegner (SPD) has rejected proposals affecting the retirement age, working hours, and dismissal protection, arguing that such measures would place disproportionate burdens on workers who already contribute substantially to national prosperity while receiving inadequate remuneration. From this standpoint, government officials have been urged to focus on implementing the coalition agreement in a consistent manner rather than advancing demands that coalition partners regard as fundamentally unacceptable.
The broader policy debate has been further intensified by recent remarks from Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who has questioned the reliability of electronic and telephone-based sickness certification and has drawn attention to what he considers an excessively high number of sick-leave days among employees.
Sickness-leave reform proposals amid soaring absence costs
His criticism has received support from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), whose chair, Andreas Gassen, has argued that telephone certificates of incapacity are particularly susceptible to misuse and do not allow for adequate medical assessment. In contrast, former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has warned that abolishing telephone certification could overburden outpatient medical practices and impose undue strain on patients who are genuinely ill.
In response to these concerns, Gassen has called for a comprehensive revision of sickness-leave regulations. His proposals include abolishing telephone certification altogether and removing the obligation to present a medical certificate during the first three days of illness. He has argued that a significant share of sickness certifications relate to minor ailments and generate millions of medically unnecessary consultations each year. Alternative arrangements, such as contractual regulation of initial sick days, waiting periods, or bonus-based systems, could, in his assessment, reduce misuse while preserving wage continuation in cases of serious illness.
The controversy is unfolding against the backdrop of a marked rise in absenteeism since 2022. Employer-side calculations indicate that wage continuation payments amounted to approximately 82 billion euros in 2024, while broader economic losses associated with absenteeism exceeded 100 billion euros. According to data from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, employees were absent for more than 20 days on average during that year.
At the beginning of the year, Rainer Dulger, president of the BDA, reiterated demands to abolish telephone sick notes, describing them as a temporary instrument introduced during the pandemic that has since become vulnerable to misuse. Beyond advocating video consultations as a more contemporary alternative, he has called for limiting wage continuation to a maximum of six weeks per year rather than per illness and for excluding bonuses for night work, Sunday work, and overtime from continued payment during periods of sickness.
