Many young professionals value a reasonable work-life balance in their jobs. Telekom CEO Tim Höttges, on the other hand, calls for more ambition and passion. Germany should work more again.
According to Telekom CEO Tim Höttges, Germany's entrepreneurs and employees should work more. In many other countries, people work significantly more than in Germany, said the manager at the Digital X trade fair in Cologne. Working hours in Germany have become shorter. “I think we all need to work more again.”
More ambition and more will required
The total number of hours worked in Germany has increased, but this has only happened because of the increase in part-time contracts, Höttges continued. “When I am in China, America or Asia and see how these economic nations are throwing up their hands, I sometimes worry about the competitiveness of our location.”
The Telekom boss calls for more ambition and more will to improve Germany's economy and every entrepreneur and employee. “If we all had the ambition to be leaders, if we said 'Made in Germany' is not good enough, it has to get better – what kind of movement do you think could emerge in this country?” The use of artificial intelligence (AI) could also help here.
At the same time, Höttges also pointed out the advantages of Germany as a business location in global competition. “We are still a stable democratic center of power in Europe.” Germany is the third largest economy in the world, although it only has about one percent of the world's population.
Bureaucratic ballast “overwhelming” according to Höttges
Another positive aspect is that more than a third of university degrees are obtained in the so-called MINT subjects, i.e. mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. The European average is only a quarter. “We have enormous technological expertise in Germany.”
Nevertheless, the Federal Republic must be careful not to fall behind in global competition. The amount of foreign investment in Germany is currently low and the shortage of skilled workers is “massive”. Added to this are the increased costs of energy and transport. The bureaucratic burden is “overwhelming” and digitization is not progressing quickly enough. “In the long term, prosperity cannot be created if the productivity of labor, capital and raw materials does not increase.”
In his appeal for more productive and innovative work, the manager includes his own company: “Everyone has to change, including Telekom, including me, including you, and the state has to change too, everyone has to shape the change.” You have to show passion and have grit. Digital X is an event organized by Deutsche Telekom, which primarily wants to start a conversation with corporate customers.
Many total working hours, rather low number on average
According to studies, Germans as a whole worked more than ever last year, despite the economic downturn. Employees worked a total of around 55 billion hours in 2023, according to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in the spring. This is the highest figure since reunification.
“The total volume of work has increased primarily because more and more women are working,” said study author Mattis Beckmannshagen at the time. “However, almost half of women in Germany work part-time, although some would like to work more.” Their potential for the labor market therefore remains partially untapped. The high part-time rate leads to a relatively low average working time of all employees of 34.7 hours per week.
The so-called Generation Z in particular – people born between 1995 and 2010 – are said to place significantly more value on work-life balance than previous generations. Young professionals specifically seek out employers who offer more flexible working time models. In a study conducted by Mainz University of Applied Sciences in 2022, for example, almost 77 percent of the students surveyed stated that a balanced work-life balance was the most important criterion when choosing a job.
