Employees want flexibility – unions are blocking it

Employers' association president Dr. Rainer Dulger on the latest Forsa survey on flexible working hours:

Employees want flexibility – unions are blocking it

Berlin, October 15, 2025. "Two out of three employees in Germany would like to see a maximum weekly working time with more flexibility in the daily distribution. The high approval ratings are consistent with our experience in our companies. It is high time to bring the Working Hours Act into the 21st century – and thus into the age of digitalization.

The unions' obstructionist attitude is incomprehensible. After all, there is also strong support among union members. When even your own members vote for more flexibility, you should rethink your position. Resistance to a modern, EU-compliant Working Hours Act is outdated.

This is not about extending the weekly working hours that are regulated in collective agreements and employment contracts. It is about flexibility that benefits both sides: employees and employers."

Forsa survey: 66 percent of employees in favor of maximum weekly working hours

According to a representative Forsa survey, a clear majority of 66 percent of employees would be in favor of relaxing the current daily working time limit and introducing a maximum working time per week instead. Whether in the east or west, among men and women, and across all age and employment groups, a maximum weekly working time is viewed positively by the majority of the more than 1,500 employees surveyed. Approval is also high among union members: just under 60% are in favor of greater flexibility. Employees with higher formal education are even more likely than salaried employees to support a possible relaxation of working time regulations.