Arbeiten die Deutschen doch zu wenig? Mit Yasmin Fahimi

The economy is sluggish, social security systems are stretched to their limits. And the center-right/center-left coalition government is debating whether people in Germany are working too little. Chancellor Friedrich Merz repeatedly criticizes the supposed focus of many people on a "work-life balance," criticizes excessive part-time work requests, too many sick days, and early retirement. Markus Söder believes that an extra hour per week would surely be manageable. And even Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil agrees: "As a society, we will have to work more overall." Are Germans really working too little? Anne Will discusses this with Yasmin Fahimi, chairwoman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). At the recent trade union congress in Berlin, Merz was booed on stage. What does Fahimi have to say about this? Why is she so uncompromising regarding the demands for greater flexibility in the labor market? Or are there areas where more or a different form of work would be necessary and beneficial—for the good of the economy, but also for the prosperity and life satisfaction of working people? What will good work look like in the future? The editorial deadline for this episode was May 27, 2026, at 3 p.m. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AD-FREE Become a member of "Politics with Anne Will" and pay €4.99 per month to listen to the podcast completely ad-free in the podcast app of your choice. All information at: https://will-media.de/mitglied-werden... ADVERTISING AND DISCOUNTS: https://linktr.ee/werbungannewill Would you like to advertise on our podcast? Then send an email to: [email protected] Politics with Anne Will goes on a live tour - get your tickets now: https://tix.to/politik-mit-anne-will-... June 17, 2026 Munich October 6, 2026 Hanover November 3, 2026 Berlin IMPORTANT SOURCES: Lars Klingbeil, speech at the Bertelsmann Foundation: “Reforms for a Strong Country”, March 25, 2026 https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.d... Friedrich Merz, speech at the DGB Federal Congress in Berlin May 12, 2026 https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-d... SWR: Do Germans really work much less than the Swiss?, February 11, 2026 https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-w... Tagesschau: What's planned for the Working Time Act, May 18, 2026 https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/... Kölner Stadtanzeiger: "When will things start looking up again, Ms. Reiche?" May 22, 2026 https://www.ksta.de/politik/interview... Leibniz Institute for Economic Research: The Myth of Lazy Germans, May 28, 2025 https://www.rwi-essen.de/presse/wisse... Imprint: Editors: Tobias Jaecker, Leon Ueberall Executive Producer: Marie Schiller Producers: Patrick Zahn, Lukas Hambach Sound Design: Hannes Husten If you would like to advertise, please contact Mit Vergnügen GmbH. A Will Media GmbH Production