Germany’s Push for Longer Workweeks Faces Health Warnings and €10 Million Compliance Deadline

A coalition-government plan to replace Germany’s daily working-time limit with a weekly cap is drawing sharp warnings from occupational safety experts, even as a separate deadline for digital time-tracking systems threatens companies with fines of up to €10 million. The dual pressures are reshaping how employers manage hours, rest periods and data security.

Weekly cap proposal gains political traction

The coalition agreement explicitly calls for a move to a weekly maximum working time rather than the current daily limit. A corresponding bill is expected to be debated in summer 2026. The initiative has won backing from Saxony’s minister-president, Michael Kretschmer, who argues that Germany needs a productivity boost. “The 35-hour week no longer fits the times,” Kretschmer said. He proposes a five-year plan in which employees would work more hours at the same pay, alongside the introduction of mandatory waiting days for sick leave – a policy that would require employees to cover the first day of illness themselves.

Other states are taking a different approach. North Rhine-Westphalia wants to introduce core-time models for childcare facilities, requiring at least 35 hours per week to ensure reliable coverage.

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BAuA data shows sharp gap between contractual and actual hours

New figures published in June 2026 by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) underline the gap between contractual agreements and reality. Full-time employees in Germany work an average of 43.0 hours per week, far exceeding the contracted 38.4 hours. Among men, 58 percent work between 40 and 48 hours, and 14 percent log more than 48 hours. For women, the corresponding figures are 36 percent and 6 percent.

Safety researchers point to a clear physiological threshold: after the ninth hour of work, the risk of accidents rises exponentially. A leading occupational scientist warned that any extension of the maximum weekly working time would have negative consequences for both safety and health.

Night workers enjoy stringent protections – for now

Under Germany’s Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz), night work is defined as any activity performed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. that lasts more than two hours. Bakeries follow a slightly different window, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Employees who work at least 48 nights per year in that period qualify as night workers and gain special legal protections.

Their daily shift cannot exceed eight hours, though it can be stretched to ten as long as compensatory free time is granted within four weeks. A minimum uninterrupted rest period of eleven hours is mandatory. Employers must provide either paid days off or a wage supplement – typically 25 percent – and arrange regular occupational health check-ups.

Digital time tracking: dual regulatory squeeze

Since 2022, Germany’s Federal Labour Court has required employers to record the start, end and duration of every employee’s working day without gaps. Not every recording error qualifies as time fraud; intent must be proven.

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Now a second regulatory layer is at play. Under the EU’s NIS2 directive, companies using digital time-tracking systems must register by 31 July 2026. Because these systems process sensitive personal data, they must comply both with the GDPR and with tightened IT security standards. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to €10 million or two percent of worldwide annual turnover.

With a parliamentary debate on the weekly-hour model scheduled for later this summer, employers face the challenge of adapting to shifting rules on working time while simultaneously upgrading their digital infrastructure – or risk heavy penalties.

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