North Rhine-Westphalia's Labor Minister Karl-Josef Laumann has sharply criticized his CDU party's wording in the debate over 'lifestyle part-time work.' The CDU deputy chairman calls for more tact and emphasizes that Germans are diligent. He considers the economic wing's proposal unlikely to pass.
Karl-Josef Laumann, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Labor, Health and Social Affairs since 2017 and deputy CDU federal chairman, criticized the CDU economic wing's recent proposal in an interview with the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). The proposal, for the federal party congress in mid-February, calls for abolishing the legal right to part-time work and allowing it only in cases like childcare. The aim is to curb reductions for convenience, termed 'lifestyle part-time work.' The push has drawn significant criticism. Laumann cautioned: 'One should be careful how one formulates on this topic. I would wish for a bit more tact from some in the discussion.' He stressed: 'The Germans are not lazy. The Germans are still very diligent.' Germany has a high employment rate and ranks well in OECD comparisons for annual working hours of full-time employees, despite a part-time rate of around 29 percent in 2024 – 49 percent for women. Common reasons are childcare and caring for relatives, which Laumann views as valuable unpaid work for society: 'Many people reduce their working hours to raise children or care for relatives. And I don't just have understanding for that. It is also unpaid work for society.' More than 85 percent of care recipients are looked after at home. Laumann said the proposal is unlikely to pass: 'We have other problems to solve than debating the right to part-time work. People should have the freedom to make such decisions for themselves.' He acknowledged isolated cases of personal lifestyle choices but said it is not a mass phenomenon. Additionally, some part-time workers want more hours but cannot get them, especially in low-wage sectors. To encourage more work, Laumann advocated for a positive workplace climate: 'If employees are satisfied, they are usually less often sick.' In a broader context, he discussed ongoing social reforms like citizen's income and pensions, which would require tough changes to secure growth.
