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Working time accounts are booming: record 473 million hours reached!
New IAB study shows record balances on working time accounts: 470 million hours in Q4 2023 - focus on flexibility in the workplace.
Working time accounts are booming: record 473 million hours reached!
A current study by the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) found a significant increase in balances on working time accounts in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2023. Accordingly, the balance on floating and short-term accounts amounts to around 473 million hours, which corresponds to an increase of around 140 million hours compared to 2013. This research is the first to provide macroeconomically representative data on working time accounts nationwide and illustrates the increasing relevance of flexible working time models.
The companies analyzed include around 157,000 companies that were surveyed as part of a representative employer survey. In 2023, 16,171 companies took part in the IAB job survey. The hours determined have an estimated net wage value of around 9.45 billion euros, which accounts for around 0.9 percent of the total annual work volume. Employees with a short-term account have accumulated an average of 30 plus hours.
Areas with the most plus hours
The analysis revealed striking differences in the distribution of plus hours. The hours saved are highest in the trade, maintenance and repair sector with a total of 84 million hours. Health and social care comes in second place with 65 million hours. In addition, economic services recorded 43 million hours, while public administration recorded 38 million hours.
Increase in the use of working time accounts
The use of working time accounts has increased significantly over the last ten years. In 2013, only 15 percent of companies offered short-term accounts; In 2023 it was already 29 percent. The proportion of employees with a short-term account rose from 25 to 37 percent. The IAB interprets this development as an expression of an ever-increasing need for flexible working time arrangements.
The advantages of these flexible working time models are obvious for employees. Employees who have credit in a short-term account could theoretically take almost six days off to reduce all their hours. The first comprehensive study on working time accounts shows not only a quantitative but also a qualitative change in the world of work.
Overall, the IAB study represents an important step towards better understanding the dynamic changes in the labor market structure and more flexible working hours. The full report is on the Deutschlandfunk website Deutschlandfunk as well as on the BNN platform BNN visible.