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EMPLOYMENT

One-third of German employees work a year in overtime ‘without pay’

A new survey has found a third of employees in Germany are working over a year unpaid during their careers.

One-third of German employees work a year in overtime 'without pay'
Photo: Depositphotos/Dragon Images

Throughout their working lives, employees in Germany log an extra 9,655 hours of overtime – or the equivalent working time of 13 months – according to a new survey. For employees in leadership roles, that amount jumps to 15,390 hours.

The results come from the Hamburg-based Compensation Partner, which surveyed more than 215,000 employees in Germany.

The survey found that one-third of the employees are not compensated for the additional hours. They therefore work 13 months free of charge in their careers. 

As far as managers are concerned, a full 74 percent do not get any additional compensation. In total, they work for around 21 months throughout their career without pay.

The good news is that the number of overtime hours is decreasing, according to the app Work Time Monitor. 

A total of 54 percent of all employees in Germany work overtime – on average around three hours per week. On average, women work 2.2 and men 3.7 hours overtime per week. In 2009, the average number of overtime hours per week was still 6.5.

Less hours = better economy?

Tim Böger, Managing Director of Compensation Partner, told Spiegel Online that the decline was related to strong economic developments: 

“The tense situation of the financial crisis led to significantly more overtime in 2009 than today,” he said. “Today we are experiencing an economic boom and work-life balance has been brought to the foreground, which tends to reduce the willingness to work overtime”.

The Institute for Employment Research (IAB), which belongs to the Federal Employment Agency, also registered a decline in overtime hours. 

According to IAB labour market researcher Enzo Weber, however, the decline in overtime hours is actually related to “an economic slowdown since last year.”

In May, the European Court of Justice ruled that all overtime hours worked within the EU should be logged and paid. 

It's yet to be determined exactly how the ruling will be carried out in Germany. Every individual member state can decide how exactly the system will be implemented, including whether individual activities – such as answering emails at home – can be omitted if they can't be precisely measured.

The number of overtime hours in Germany in 2017 amounted to a whopping 2.1 billion, half of them unpaid, reports the government.

SEE ALSO: German workers should be paid for overtime: EU Court

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions. 

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds. 

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local. 

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with. 

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