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WORKING IN GERMANY

Reader question: Do I have to work while in quarantine in Germany?

If you've got the dreaded red alert and found out a friend or colleague has Covid, you may have to quarantine for up to 10 days - even if you don't have symptoms. But what does German law say about whether you still need to work while stuck at home?

A woman works on her laptop at home
A woman works on her laptop at home. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/CLARK | CLARK

Covid infections are spreading rapidly once again in Germany, and with tens of thousands of new Omicron cases reported each day, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before we end up coming into contact with someone who has it. 

If you don’t qualify for an exception under the government’s latest quarantine rules, this will mean up to 10 days of self-isolating at home, or seven with a negative test.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Germany’s new rules and exceptions for Covid quarantine

But what are the rules for employees during this period of quarantine? Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know.

Working from home

When it comes to deciding whether you have to work while in quarantine, the first thing to clarify is whether your job is subject to an obligation to work from home or not, Johannes Schipp, a specialist lawyer for labour law in Gütersloh, told Spiegel

Due to the current wave of infections, employers are legally obliged to give their employees the chance to work from home if possible, and employees are legally obliged to accept this offer. 

That means that, for a certain set of workers, a week or so in quarantine would quite literally be business as usual.

For another group of workers – like restaurant or constructions workers – who have to be on site in order to do their jobs, things get a bit trickier.  

“You will not have to work from a home in every case here,” Schipp explains. 

However, if you miss work because of quarantine and are unvaccinated, you’re unlikely to be entitled to compensation for the time you missed. 

READ ALSO: What employees in Germany should know about quarantine compensation

Working conditions come into play

According to Schipp, employers also have a duty to take into account the kind of environment the employee will be working in and any concerns they have.

For example, if a parent is quarantining with their young children and partner in cramped conditions, this is likely to have a knock-on effect on their ability to work. 

On the other hand, someone who has a quiet study is unlikely to have a good excuse not to take on work tasks while in quarantine, Schipp says.

However, which activities are eligible here all depends on the types of tasks you’re contracted to do.

Not all tasks are allowed

If your employer can find you tasks to do at home that fall within the scope of your contract, they can ask you to do these during your period of quarantine.

What they can’t do, however, is simply make up tasks for the sole purpose of keeping you busy during working hours.

So, for example, if a nursery school worker has some administrative duties as part of their job, they can carry on with this paperwork while in quarantine.

But if a cleaner is in quarantine, they can’t suddenly be asked to sort invoices.

“That has nothing to do with the contractually owed work,” Schipp explains. 

READ ALSO: How much does working from home in Germany hike up your electricity bill?

And what happens when you’re ill? 

Of course, if you do develop Covid systems and start feeling unwell, you’re entitled to paid sick leave and shouldn’t be asked to work at all. 

Member comments

  1. I am planning a family trip to Germany in April, travelling from the UK. Will my 8 year old grandson be able to come with us. He has not been innoculated.

    In the UK children of his age do not have an inoculation against Covid, only over 12’s.

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WORKING IN GERMANY

EXPLAINED: Which German sectors have the most job openings?

A new study has charted the sectors that are most in need of workers in Germany right now - with some surprising results.

EXPLAINED: Which German sectors have the most job openings?

Germany is in the grip of a labour crisis, with shortages hitting pretty much all industries in the country. But in some types of job, the empty vacancies are stacking up faster than others. 

In a survey of around 45 million job adverts listed online between 2019 and 2023, researchers from the Bertelsmann Foundation tried to gain a sense of which sectors were the most desperate for new workers in Germany. The study looked at 1,210 professions overall, with temporary jobs weighted lower. 

It found that two types of worker were in particularly high demand: warehouse and administrative staff. 

The increasing need for warehouse logistics staff is linked to the growth in online retail services during the pandemic. When high-street shops had to close their doors or put entry restrictions in place, many people turned to companies like Amazon or online branches of retail brands to purchase goods.

READ ALSO: Unemployment rises in Germany as job vacancies remain at ‘high level’

This shift in buying habits has had a major impact on the job market: in 162 out of 401 districts in Germany, Bertelsmann found the majority of job postings were for warehouse jobs.

In cities and metropolitan areas, however, it was secretarial and administrative staff that employers were desperate to find. These came top of the rankings in around a quarter of the districts surveyed (101) and accounted for the highest number of job advertisements across the country last year.

In 2022 alone, 254,499 open positions for office and secretarial workers were posted online. Logistics workers came close behind with 253,487 job advertisements that year.

Fewer skilled jobs on the market

Somewhat surprisingly, adverts for skilled workers – where German is battling major shortages – have slumped in recent years. 

The three occupations with the biggest losses between 2019 and 2022 are skilled workers in mechatronics, which dropped 76 places in the rankings, tool technicians, which were down 54 places, and bank clerks, which were down 43.

“For many skilled occupations, employers have shown some restraint in recent years,” said study author and employment expert Gunvald Herdin. “That seems to be changing again in 2023.”

Salt factory in Germany

A wheel loader loads salt onto a truck at the “Ciech Salz Deutschland” plant. SPhoto: picture alliance/dpa | Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert

He says the share of skilled jobs fell by more than four percentage points from 2020 to 2022, to about 37 percent. “However, in the first half of 2023, there is again a larger share of skilled worker positions at just under 41 percent,” he added.

The biggest increase in open positions comes from the health sector.

Advertisements for psychiatrists and psychotherapists have climbed 106 places in the ranking, followed by specialists in paper and packaging technology (up 97), childcare workers and teachers (up 62) and specialists in internal medicine (up 59).

READ ALSO: Surge in foreign workers applying to have qualifications recognised in Germany

‘New opportunities’

According to Herdin, one of the most striking aspects of the survey is the variation in the labour required across different parts of the country.

“I was surprised by the regional differences – in cities and districts, 17 different professions made it to first place,” he told DPA. “That’s why regionally specific measures are needed. For those providing training and education, that is a challenge.”

The Bertelsmann expert also commented on the fact that digitalisation in the economy – particularly in terms of online shopping – was creating new jobs in Germany.

“You can see very clearly the boom in online retail,” he said. “Because we all shop online, there is now more demand for helpers as well as for skilled workers in logistics, shipping and packaging. There are completely new opportunities on the labour market.”

According to the study, there is a demand for workers at all levels of the economy – not just in senior or skilled roles. 

“Contrary to what is often thought, the entry-level positions are not dying out. Instead, they are continuously changing in the course of market developments and digitalisation,” Herdin explained.

For example, outside of warehousing, helpers are most in demand in the first half of 2023 in cleaning (5th), catering (15th) and forklift (20th).

READ ALSO: REVEALED: The German industries most desperate for skilled workers

At the higher levels, employers are looking for master craftsmen, technicians and bachelor graduates in business organisation (4th place), accounting (9th place) and advertising and marketing (10th place).

Jobs for people with masters degrees were primarily in sales (7th place) and software development (13th place).

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