"Full-time work leads to social impoverishment:" Why Generation Z wants to work less

From Luisa Zenker

It was an evening in January when Jörg Brückner, President of the Employers' Association of Saxony, stepped up to the microphone and said: "We cannot avoid working longer and more in our working lives again." Later, in his New Year's speech, he said: "The 40-hour week must not only be tacitly tolerated, it must once again become the social norm throughout Germany." Minister President Michael Kretschmer has also repeatedly called for the 40-hour week to become the norm again.

However, the trend in Germany and Saxony is moving in the opposite direction. The number of part-time employees has more than doubled since 1990. Every third person in employment works less than 40 hours. This puts Saxony in third place in a comparison of federal states. The trade union IG Metall won this year for the eastern German locations of Siemens Energy The 35-hour week by 2025. In many discussions, young generations X and Z are blamed for this. They are accused of paying too much attention to their work-life balance.

Effeminate, lazy, disrespectful?

"You don't make the professions more attractive if we have to work more," says prospective student teacher Lea, countering the accusation. She can only imagine working part-time in her profession later on. "There are so many teachers who fall into depression because they are overworked," she says, citing this as part of the reason for the shortage of teachers. The 22-year-old belongs to the so-called Generation Z, which includes everyone born in 1995 or later and is preceded by the stigma of being effeminate, lazy and disrespectful towards their elders. A small discussion at the Technical University of Dresden is intended to show how young people react to such statements. Several students got together over tea and cake to discuss their future careers.

"I don't live to work," remarks physics student Nick. "We're facing a huge transformation." What used to take days can now be done in an hour thanks to artificial intelligence. "Should we then do the rest?" asks the 22-year-old provocatively. His question is reminiscent of the economic icon John Maynard Keynes, who predicted back in 1930 that technology would be so advanced by the end of the century that countries such as the UK and the USA would introduce the 15-hour working week. A vision of the future that never materialized due to the up-and-coming service sector.

When artificial intelligence does the work

However, fellow student Tina makes it clear that part-time isn't just about doing the time: she knows the feeling of being overworked: as a pediatric nurse, she used to work in shifts. More than 30 hours was not manageable in the job, so many of her colleagues worked part-time, says the budding biologist. The 25-year-old has now started a new course of study. Partly because of the working conditions.

Another physics student, who moved to Dresden from West Germany for his studies, also joins in: "It used to be enough for one parent to work full-time," he recalls. "But yes, I'm a workaholic and I already do a lot on the side, but the question is: what is a good life?" The students then begin to discuss the concept of work. Is it just a job or something more? What about housework, caring for children and the elderly, volunteering for a sports club or a nature conservation organization?

Unpaid work becomes invisible work

"I don't want to tie my work to a number. If it makes sense, I would work a lot for it," summarized the students at the end of the discussion. They are concerned with the meaning of their work. And: they all know that as prospective academics they can pursue a career in which they will earn enough money even part-time. But they realize that it is also about values in themselves. Career, luxury car, bicycle, rented apartment, home - what do you want to achieve in the end, in a future where climate crisis, geopolitical tensions and empty pension funds loom: "Someone like Mr. Kretschmer doesn't want you to enjoy life at all."

You can call it the laziness revolution or an ode to idleness. But perhaps it is simply the search for what is important in life. At least that's what comes to mind when you talk to Luzie Kirchner.

"Part-time is a bit more relaxed for everyone"

They have long since arrived in working life and belong to Generation Y. Although they did not grow up digitally, they were digitized quite early on. According to popular opinion, they are all born between 1980 and 1995 and are said to be independent, self-realized and have a good dose of hedonism.

But Luzie Kirchner is no slacker. She is one of the few women working in the technology department, manages construction sites and can describe the inner workings of large battery storage systems like the back of her hand. But the graduate engineer for renewable energies can do all this without having to work full-time. For some years now, 30 hours has been normal for her: from Monday to Thursday. After that, she has - get this - three days off.

Luzie is aware that she can afford to work only 30 hours with less pay. It would be more difficult financially with children or in another job, she says. But she also knows that if the 30-hour week had not been possible in her company, she would have changed companies. Luzie often hears her grandparents say: "We had to work ten hours a day, even on Saturdays. And after work, we swept out the workshop." Luzie often replies that work was different in the past. "The density of information, complexity and responsibility at work has increased. Part-time is a bit more relaxed for everyone."

The third day off is all hers

Sometimes colleagues ask Luzie what she does with all this free time: "For me, it's another weekend day that I don't have to use. I spend it however it suits me. I can't imagine maintaining my social relationships any other way. When do people in full-time jobs find the time to meet their friends, repair their bike or dishwasher, be creative, read?" Full-time work leads to social impoverishment, she argues.

She herself would like it if 30 hours were normal and you could increase it from there. "It makes overtime weird," says the engineer, who is currently still the exception at the young Dresden-based company Tricera. The office building in the east of Dresden has the character of a start-up. There is organic Fairtrade coffee, a table football table, yoga mats and a pool table. The company, which has built Saxony's largest battery storage facility, has around 80 permanent employees. They produce new ones from the batteries of disused electric cars - for industrial plants and renewable energies, among other things.

An idea from founder Lars Fallant, who likes to start his work early. Answering emails at 4 a.m. is nothing unusual for his employees. As Managing Director, he rarely reaches the 40-hour mark. It's usually 50 hours or more. How does he, who is sometimes described as a workaholic by his colleagues, view the part-time model? "I've always combined work with free time," says the 38-year-old, who is also part of Generation Y. He has founded his own sports club with his colleagues and they regularly play volleyball together. He has also planned fixed dates for his son and his wife, who works part-time. The fact that some of his employees have a contract with fewer hours hardly bothers him. He is happy to adapt in order to find good specialists for the region.

He is often referred to as a workaholic

Tricera is experiencing a phenomenon that can be observed in almost every industry: competition in the labor market. Employers now have to apply to employees. "It's tough competition for a small number of people," explains Felix Beilharz, who calls himself a Generation Z savant and recently wrote a book called "Manual Generation Z".

The Cologne-based management consultant fills entire halls because he seems to have a magical explanation of what makes the young generation tick. "What really sets Generation Z apart the most is their demeanor. It is demanding and courageous because we have a very severe labor shortage." A fact that can be read everywhere. While there were 44 unemployed people for every job application in Saxony in 2005, there are now three unemployed people for every vacancy, according to the employment agency.

If the Generation Z expert were to appear before the Saxon employer president, it could certainly be exciting. Because Felix Beilharz thinks the changes in the labor market are good: "The 40-hour week is not set in stone, it hasn't always existed. And in many office jobs, people don't work productively for 40 hours. They can be just as efficient with 30 hours." His recipe is therefore: be digital, flexible and honest. This is the only way to reach Gen Z.

Leipzig scientists: Generation Z does not exist

A Gen Z that may not even exist. Because not every young person ticks in the same way, at least according to Leipzig scientist Hannes Zacher. The professor of occupational psychology at Leipzig University takes a critical view of all the talk about generations: according to him, there is no scientific proof that Generation Z exists. For him, it's all just an invention of management consultants, a whole generation industry that sells a new book every week.

"Every age group wanted to work less," he explains, referring to the 1950s and 1960s, when the six-day week was reduced. Precisely because less and less work was needed. Due to automation.

"We don't need generational research, we need an understanding of what makes individuals tick and what they need in their life situation," says the scientist, who himself pays close attention to his working hours. With four children and parents with two careers, this is no easy task, says Zacher, who naturally keeps a close eye on how the number of mentally related absences from work has increased.

Part-time work has less to do with age

"We benefit psychologically from part-time work. We are less stressed and can cope better with everyday life." For him, dismissing the whole thing as a Generation Z phenomenon misses the point: namely the compatibility of family and career. "Younger people don't want to work in the trades or in care because they know that the conditions will drive you crazy over time. The real question is, how can we improve jobs?"

The figures also prove that the trend towards part-time work is not a generational issue: in Saxony, people across all age groups are working less than they did 15 years ago. The largest group of part-time employees is actually found among 40 to 60-year-olds. In addition, half of Germans would like to work less, even if they had to sacrifice wages, according to a Leibniz study by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research.

Three quarters of all part-time employees are women

People don't just work shorter hours to relax, but for many reasons. In addition to picking up their children at 3 p.m. and caring for their grandfather, the minimum wage also plays a role, which is why many mini-jobbers have become part-time employees. But the employment agency's statistics show something else: part-time work has less to do with Generation Z, who swapped Diddl sheets and watched the movie "High School Musical" in their school days, and more to do with gender.

Of the 547,000 part-time employees, women in particular work less than 40 hours - 417,000 women to be precise work part-time in Saxony. And that has consequences: for career opportunities and later retirement. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average pension for women in Germany is a third lower than that of men. One in five women aged 65 and over is therefore considered to be at risk of poverty.

But back to the youth of today. And to New Year's speeches and high-ranking quotes: "Today's youth is fundamentally corrupt, it is evil, godless and lazy. They will never be like the youth before and will never succeed in preserving our culture." This quote is not from a current newspaper, but from a Babylonian clay tablet dating back to 1,000 BC. Let's see what we hear in a New Year's speech in 1,000 years' time.

Why do you work part-time? Three people from Saxony tell us

Ludmila Bartz: When her children are grown up, she wants to work full-time again

Service assistant Ludmila Bartz can only imagine working part-time. Her son is four and her daughter is seven. The sales assistant at the Schreyer car dealership in Ottendorf-Okrilla needs the time to have enough time for housework, playing and homework. "The children need attention." Her husband continues to work full-time. "You have to limit yourself financially," says the 32-year-old, who is determined to return to full-time work when the children are big enough. "She's not working less now," says her boss Florian Schreyer, defending her: "We can tell when people are stressed at work." 10 of his 75 employees work part-time. Not only because of their families, but also because of their age. Working in the trades until 65 is tough.

Anne Wilhelm: Protecting the environment with part-time work

The digital nomad works for the Pommritz-based company Working Evolutions. The unusual: Anne Wilhelm is currently doing her job from Indonesia. The sea is just one minute away from her vacation apartment. From there, she writes emails, holds conferences, advises and supports companies. All this in 25 hours a week. "I can't imagine working for just one company at the moment," says the trained retail saleswoman from Zittau, explaining the reason for her part-time job. She also works five to ten hours a week as a freelance graphic designer. She devotes the rest of her time to voluntary work, campaigning for a plastic-free island in Indonesia: "I like to fill my time. It brings me something. Not just financially." Nevertheless, she knows that it's a luxury that doesn't work for everyone.

Philipp Barth: One of the two parents has to take a back seat

Friday is a day off work. At least that's how Dresden family man Philipp Barth, who works as a youth therapist from Monday to Thursday, sees it. He has been working 30 hours part-time for eight years, partly because he has a three-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter. "One of the two parents has to take a back seat," says the 39-year-old, whose partner works as a hospital doctor. In her professional environment, the care of the children is often handed over to household helpers or nannies. "Family is also work, as nice as it is," remarks Philipp Barth, who sometimes uses his free time for a climbing trip to Saxon Switzerland. "I'd like to see us rethink the 40-hour week in our society," says the social education worker.