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Local Germany
7 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
Which benefits am I entitled to as a part-time employee in Germany?
The number of part-time workers has grown significantly in recent years. Almost two out of five employees in Germany work part-time, according to figures from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) for the first quarter of 2025. All regularly employed workers in Germany are entitled to certain benefits, but the amount of paid time off or other benefits you are entitled to does depend on how many hours you work in some cases. So what entitlements do part-time employees have in Germany regarding holidays, special payments, bonuses and the like? Here's what you need to know: Vacation days Full-time employees at many German companies receive up to 30 days of vacation a year. However, the minimum requirement according to German labour law is at least 20 days per year for workers on a five-day work week. "Part-time employees have the same entitlement, provided they work every day of the week," Daniel Stach, an employment lawyer at the Verdi federal board, told the German Press Agency. But if part-time work is spread across fewer weekly working days, then your vacation entitlement is adjusted accordingly. So if a company offers 30 vacation days for employees who work five days per week, then employees who work four days per week would be entitled to 80 percent of the benefit. Their vacation entitlement would therefore be 24 days (calculated as follows: 30 x 4 / 5 = 24). In effect, part-time workers are entitled to the same number of weeks of vacation as full-time employees - but they get fewer paid days off because they work fewer days per week. Advertisement When part-time work is irregular, it's calculated based on the total number of working days over a longer period. If an employee works 150 days per year, for example, their benefit would be calculated like this: 30 (vacation days for full-time employees) divided by 260 (annual working days of the company) multiplied by 150 (working days of the part-time employee per year) resulting in 17.30 vacation days per year. Special payments & bonuses Employees may be entitled to special payments, like Christmas or holiday bonuses, if these are stipulated in their employment contract. If so, part-time employees are entitled to at least a portion of the bonus payments, usually calculated pro rata depending on their working days. Regarding anniversary bonuses or loyalty bonuses for long-term employees, part-time employees are typically entitled to the same amount as full-time employees. If there's any doubt about bonus entitlements, employees are advised to check their employment contracts and / or ask their works council, trade union or a specialist employment lawyer. READ ALSO: Can I be paid in Germany for any holiday I don't take? Overtime pay According to German labour law - specifically the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act - part-time employees must be granted "every divisible corresponds to the proportion of the working to a full-time employee." This also extends to overtime pay. So part-time workers should also be paid more for hours worked overtime, which typically starts after eight hours of work in a single day or after 48 hours of work in a working week. Exceptions to this are permissible if an employer can present objective reasons to justify different treatment based on the nature of the work. Care-taker's leave Employees can take up to six months of care leave to care for a close relative who requires care level 1 at home. READ ALSO: Can I get time off for moving house in Germany? Advertisement According to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, this applies to both full-time and part-time employees, who have the option of being released from work completely or partially. In order to better secure their livelihood during this time, they can also apply for an interest-free loan from the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Tasks (BAFzA). With reporting by DPA.
Local Germany
18-07-2025
- Business
- Local Germany
Germany's immigrant wage gap affects the next generation, study says
A new international study published in Nature this week revealed the wage gap between immigrants and native-born populations across Western nations, including in Germany, highlighting the structural barriers which cause this gap to endure across generations. The multinational team behind the research, including Dr. Malte Reichelt of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, analysed employment and wage information from 13.5 million workers – both immigrants and non-immigrants – in nine high-income countries; Germany, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In Germany, the average wage gap between first-generation immigrants and non-immigrants is 19.6 percent, slightly higher than the average seen across all countries, which was about 18 percent. Strikingly, three-quarters of the total wage gap was attributed not to immigrants being paid less for the same work, but to having limited access to better-paid jobs, industries, and companies. So the wage gap is largely a result of structural rather than direct discrimination issues, in other words. READ ALSO: Germany's skilled labour shortage intensifies across industries Only about 4.6 percent of the wage gap can be ascribed to immigrants being paid less for the same job than native-born employees. The study's comprehensive data set and multi-country approach confirm that Germany is not unique, but the gap is still among the largest in northern and western Europe, exceeded only by Norway, Spain, and Canada for first-generation migrants. Multi-generational effects The wage gap narrows into the second generation but still persists. In Germany, second-generation immigrants earn 7.7 percent less than their peers with native-born parents. Again the gap in the second generation in Germany is above average for countries in the study, and is even wider for descendants of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. Advertisement While Germany has long been aware of income disparities affecting immigrants, the study's emphasis on generational persistence and structural factors, rather than just unequal pay for equal work, represents a challenge to assumptions that simply prohibiting wage discrimination will solve the problem. As Dr. Malte Reichelt notes, 'Integration is not just about equal pay for equal work. It is primarily about breaking down structural barriers to access to well-paid jobs.' FACT CHECK: Are immigrants in Germany taking advantage of the welfare state? In Germany, as in other countries, these structural barriers can include non-recognition of foreign credentials, language barriers, and a lack of professional networks for foreigners. What do the authors recommend? Beyond fairness, the findings have major implications for economic growth, especially given Germany's reliance on skilled immigration in an aging society. Reichelt and his colleagues point to Canada as an example of a country where targeted support programs and the effective use of policy tools have resulted in a much smaller second-generation wage gap. Advertisement According to the study, although Canada's first-generation wage gap is among the largest of any country studied – at 27.5 percent – it shrinks to just 1.9 percent among second-generation immigrants, the smallest gap observed in the comparison countries. By contrast, Germany's gap narrows from 19.6 percent in the first generation to 7.7 percent in the second, well above Canada's result and the cross-country average of 5.7 percent. This dramatic narrowing in Canada is attributed by the study's authors to strong integration policies, effective recognition of foreign qualifications, robust language support, and active measures to connect immigrants and their children to well-paid work. READ ALSO: How German ministers want to boost skilled migration and integration
DW
17-07-2025
- Business
- DW
Migrants in Germany earn less across generations – DW – 07/17/2025
Migrants who make a new life in Germany earn far less than native-born workers, a new study has found. Researchers say the gap stems mainly from unequal access to higher-paying sectors, and extends down the generations. Migrants living in Germany earn nearly 20% less than native-born workers, a study has found. The research authors concluded that the reason wasn't because foreign-born workers were paid unfairly for the same jobs, but because they were often shut out of higher-paying sectors. The wage gap in Germany stands at 19.6% for first-generation migrants. But three-quarters of that difference comes down to limited access to better-paying industries, roles, and employers — not unequal pay for identical work. The research was published by the journal Nature, with contributions from Germany's Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg. It compared Germany to eight other Western nations: Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the US. While all showed income gaps between migrants and locals, countries like Sweden and Canada are closing those gaps faster — especially by the second generation. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In Germany, the wage gap for second-generation migrants still averages 7.7% — far above the 5.7% international average. Descendants of migrants from Africa and the Middle East remain particularly disadvantaged. "Integration is primarily about breaking down structural barriers to access well-paid jobs," said study co-author Malte Reichelt. The report highlights several key factors to improve access: language support, recognition of foreign qualifications, expansion of professional networks, and better information sharing. Among first-generation migrants, the largest wage disparities were found in Spain (29.3%) and Canada (27.5%), followed by Norway (20.3%), Germany (19.6%), and France (18.9%). The US, Denmark, and Sweden reported significantly smaller gaps. Canada leads the way in generational progress — with just a 1.9% wage gap for second-generation migrants. In contrast, Norway still shows an 8.7% disparity.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
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CNN
15-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
Easy swaps for a more sustainable lifestyle
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests. List of IAB Vendors | View Illustrations
