The CDU's economic wing proposes abolishing the legal right to part-time work to create more full-time jobs and combat the skilled labor shortage. Critics warn, however, that this ignores the real causes and could push qualified women out of the workforce. Instead, unions and experts call for expanding childcare infrastructure.
Germany has one of the world's highest part-time employment rates, particularly among women. The CDU's economic wing aims to change this by abolishing the legal right to part-time work, to boost employment. CDU leader Friedrich Merz regularly warns that more work is needed. Indeed, hundreds of thousands, especially highly qualified women, want to work more but often cannot due to care responsibilities, particularly childcare.
Unions and the Institute of the German Economy (IW) agree that the key lies in expanding childcare infrastructure. Better provision of daycare centers, nurseries, and all-day care at primary schools could convert high part-time rates into full-time jobs and alleviate the skilled labor shortage. But why is this not already standard? Municipalities and states are financially strained and cannot afford additional staff.
The CDU proposal is criticized as a crude initiative that primarily flatters employers and lobbyists demanding the dismantling of social rights. Without the legal right, there is a risk that women will entirely exit the workforce, worsening the shortage. Moreover, the accusation of 'lifestyle part-time' unnecessarily heats up the debate, although a factual discussion is warranted.
