Controversy over Recent Remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Potential Political Fallout Ahead of Local Elections in March
Reports say that German society is seeing growing backlash after Chancellor Friedrich Merz scolded the public by saying that they "need to work harder."
According to the European edition of Politico on the 12th (local time), Chancellor Merz has, over the past few weeks, repeatedly criticized Germans for not working enough and for making excessive use of sick leave.
In response, some citizens are reportedly mocking him by turning his remarks on part-time work and sick leave into memes and sharing them on social media.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the ruling center-right Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union coalition also recently criticized the lax work culture and urged people to work more. The Christian Democratic Union is pushing to regulate the so-called 'lifestyle part-time' practice, in which people work fewer hours to increase personal time without "unavoidable" reasons such as childcare or caregiving. Getty Images
On January 14, in a speech at an event hosted by a chamber of commerce in eastern Germany, Chancellor Merz pointed to part-time work as a problem, saying, "The overall productivity of our economy is not high enough."
He added, "To put it more bluntly, work-life balance and a four-day workweek are not enough to maintain our current level of prosperity," and stressed, "That is why we need to work harder."
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the governing center-right coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) have also recently criticized what they call a lax work culture and urged people to work more. The Christian Democratic Union is pushing to regulate the so-called "lifestyle part-time" practice of working fewer hours in order to increase personal time when not for "unavoidable" reasons such as childcare or caregiving. In addition, they are working out measures to increase total working hours, including making working hours more flexible, exempting overtime pay from taxes, and tightening rules on sick leave.
On January 16, Chancellor Merz also pointed out that the amount of sick leave in Germany is higher than the European Union (EU) average. Speaking in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, he said that German workers take an average of about three weeks of sick leave per year. He then asked, "Is that really right? Is it really necessary?" and added, "Instead of simply having people take sick leave when they are ill, can't we discuss how to create better incentives?"
On January 17, speaking at a Western Bakers' Association event, he said, "Our parents did not complain when they rebuilt Germany after World War II. Did they talk about work-life balance or a four-day workweek?"
According to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, the average weekly working time in Germany in 2024 was 33.9 hours, which was lower than the European Union (EU) average of 36.0 hours. Among EU member states, Denmark and Austria had the same working hours as Germany, while the Netherlands, at 32.1 hours, was the only member state with fewer working hours than Germany.
Against this backdrop, Chancellor Merz and his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have been pushing to regulate the so-called "lifestyle part-time" practice of working fewer hours in order to increase personal time when not for "unavoidable" reasons such as childcare or caregiving.
This has triggered continued backlash among Germans. A woman living in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, who works part-time, told Germany's public broadcaster that she cares for her son and her mother, saying, "This is not a lifestyle I chose."
Politico reported that Chancellor Merz's repeated scolding of workers could deal him a political blow, especially with local elections scheduled for March. In a survey conducted by German broadcaster ARD on February 5, two-thirds of Germans said they opposed the CDU's proposed regulations on part-time work.
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