The debate raised in Germany by Chancellor Friedrich Merz touches on a hot topic, but the Italian situation is radically different from the German one. Merz criticized the German model, arguing that people work too little in the country, pushing for reforms that go beyond the historic limit of 8 hours a day in favor of greater weekly flexibility to revive the economy. OECD data confirm his numerical starting point: Germany records the lowest average annual hours worked per worker among member countries (about 1,340 hours per year), mainly due to a very high percentage of part-time and mini-job contracts.
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And in Italy? The data say otherwise
While in Germany the political concern is the reduced number of hours, in Italy the scenario is the opposite. Italian workers spend much more time at work compared to their German colleagues. Looking at the official OECD data on actual hours worked per year per worker, in Germany it is about 1,331 hours per year (2024 data, down from 1,466 hours in 2000), the lowest figure in the entire OECD area. In Italy, it is 1,716 hours (it was 1,850 in 2000), ranking 17th out of 46 countries monitored by the OECD, consistently above the European average. In practical terms, a worker in Italy accumulates on average 385 more hours per year than one in Germany. This means that, at the macroeconomic level, in Italy people work almost the equivalent of one more day per week compared to the German model.
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The paradox of hours and salaries
This gap highlights a strong paradox that disproves the idea that “working more hours” equals producing more wealth. Despite Italians spending much more time in the office or factory, productivity per hour worked is lower than in Germany, often due to structural problems, shortcomings in technological innovation and less efficient organizational models. Despite a significantly greater hourly commitment, average annual wages in Italy remain significantly lower than those of German workers: in Italy, according to Eurostat, in 2024 the average gross annual salary was 33,523 euros, in Germany it was 53,791 (with an EU-27 average of 39,808 euros).
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