VDMA
40-hour week demanded as the norm
In the debate about working hours in Germany, the mechanical engineering association VDMA is calling for an increase in weekly working hours instead of a reduction.
"The 40-hour week must be the norm again," said VDMA Managing Director Thilo Brodtmann on Tuesday (October 17). "False incentives that keep people away from work must be abolished. This applies in particular to the idea of a general reduction in working hours by means of a four-day week."
Brodtmann said that Germany could not afford a general reduction in working hours, neither economically nor in terms of social policy - especially not with full wage compensation. He called for a "quick course correction" in view of the shortage of skilled workers. The course must be set for "more work". "This includes extending working life and raising the retirement age as well as increasing the weekly working hours."
IG Metall is initially calling for a further reduction in working hours for the steel industry to 32 hours per week, which could lead to a four-day week.
You might also be interested in
Christiane Benner starts with historically high approval ratings
There were no opposing candidates, but the election result for the first female chairwoman of IG Metall is nevertheless strong. Difficult tasks await Christiane Benner and her team.
read more...The empathetic manager as an employee magnet
Companies are complaining about the shortage of skilled workers - and rightly so, as the latest study by the German Economic Institute shows: there was a shortage of 630,000 skilled workers last year. What's more, the higher the qualifications...
read more...Staff expansion in mechanical engineering
The chances of finding a job in mechanical and plant engineering remain very good. However, bottlenecks on the labor market remain a challenge. A quick survey by the VDMA provides some insight.
read more...Robotics to overcome the shortage of skilled workers
Around half of employees in Germany see robots as a way of helping to overcome the shortage of skilled workers - according to one of the results of the automatica 2023 trend index, for which a market research institute surveyed 1,000 employees in...
read more...Skills shortage at its peak
The shortage of skilled workers has reached a peak and is placing an increasing burden on the German economy. Labor market experts do not expect the situation to ease for the time being.
read more...Employer president fears loss of prosperity
You can see it in restaurants, craft businesses and many other sectors: There is a shortage of skilled workers. The employer president describes what this could mean.
read more...Saxony and Bavaria conduct joint research
Over the next three years, three universities from Munich and Dresden want to work on making the use of artificial intelligence even better. This also involves energy consumption.
read more...German industry records more orders for the first time in 2024
German industry surprisingly received significantly more orders in June. However, experts do not believe the downward trend has been broken yet.
read more...Data leaks more expensive - German companies fix them quickly
Data leaks can cost companies dearly. In Germany, the costs have recently risen significantly - but local companies are among the fastest when it comes to fixing them.
read more...