COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
par The Stepstone Group
Ahead of the long weekend: How employees in Germany experience shortened working weeks
EQS-Media / 12.05.2026 / 13:01 CET/CEST
Press release
Ahead of the long weekend: How employees in Germany experience shortened working weeks
Many employees do not see their productivity affected
According to the Stepstone survey, public holidays do not necessarily lead to work being left undone. One in four employees, 25%, says they can manage their workload well even when public holidays shorten the working week. 18% report being able to work with greater focus around public holidays because meetings and interruptions decrease. For 21% of employees, long weekends are important for their work-life balance.
“The results show which conditions employees themselves associate with being able to work well,” says Dr. Anna Wittich, labour market researcher at Stepstone. “Those who experience shorter weeks as manageable mainly describe fewer interruptions, clearer priorities and more focus as helpful. This underlines how important it is to be able to structure one’s work effectively and to have sufficient space for focused work in everyday working life.”
Taking time off around public holidays: often fair, but not equally accessible to everyone
In many teams, coordinating days off around public holidays appears to work relatively smoothly. Almost one in three employees, 30%, says that holiday planning is fair and that no one is disadvantaged. 16% report tensions when planning time off around public holidays.
How employees experience long weekends also depends heavily on their profession. While many workers are able to use extended weekends specifically to rest and recharge, 13% of employees in Germany say their day-to-day work rarely allows them to take extra days off around public holidays. This is the case, for example, in nursing, the police or hospitality.
Demand for nationwide consistency
Regional differences in public holidays also play an important role for many employees. Only nine public holidays apply equally across all German federal states. In addition, there are further public holidays that only apply in certain federal states or individual regions. According to the survey, 27% of employees would like to see a uniform number of public holidays across Germany. “For many employees, differences in public holidays increasingly feel out of step with a modern working world in which teams often collaborate across federal state borders,” says Wittich. “Different days off create organizational challenges and are perceived by many employees as unfair.”
About the survey
The data in this survey is based on online interviews with members of the YouGov panel. Panel members consented to taking part in the survey. For this survey, a total of 2,094 people were surveyed between May 4 and May 6, 2026, including 1,124 employees. The survey was quota-sampled by age, gender and region, and the results were subsequently weighted accordingly. The results are representative of the resident population in Germany aged 18 and over. Results are rounded.
About Dr. Anna Wittich
Dr. Anna Wittich is a labour market and career researcher at The Stepstone Group. As an expert on job search, applications, recruiting and job satisfaction, she analyzes how the expectations and experiences of employees, candidates and companies are changing in the labour market. Her work focuses on data-based studies on career paths, application behaviour, working conditions, willingness to change jobs and modern HR practices. In the media, interviews and speaking engagements, she combines scientific analysis with practical recommendations for employees, companies and policymakers.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutionsconnect more than 130 million job applications with about 130,000 employers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs about 3,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group Media Relations
press@stepstone.com
Ahead of the long weekend: How employees in Germany experience shortened working weeks
- One in four employees says they can manage their workload well even in shortened working weeks
- 18% say they are able to work with greater focus around public holidays, mainly because there are fewer meetings and interruptions
- 27% would like to see a uniform number of public holidays across Germany
Many employees do not see their productivity affected
According to the Stepstone survey, public holidays do not necessarily lead to work being left undone. One in four employees, 25%, says they can manage their workload well even when public holidays shorten the working week. 18% report being able to work with greater focus around public holidays because meetings and interruptions decrease. For 21% of employees, long weekends are important for their work-life balance.
“The results show which conditions employees themselves associate with being able to work well,” says Dr. Anna Wittich, labour market researcher at Stepstone. “Those who experience shorter weeks as manageable mainly describe fewer interruptions, clearer priorities and more focus as helpful. This underlines how important it is to be able to structure one’s work effectively and to have sufficient space for focused work in everyday working life.”
Taking time off around public holidays: often fair, but not equally accessible to everyone
In many teams, coordinating days off around public holidays appears to work relatively smoothly. Almost one in three employees, 30%, says that holiday planning is fair and that no one is disadvantaged. 16% report tensions when planning time off around public holidays.
How employees experience long weekends also depends heavily on their profession. While many workers are able to use extended weekends specifically to rest and recharge, 13% of employees in Germany say their day-to-day work rarely allows them to take extra days off around public holidays. This is the case, for example, in nursing, the police or hospitality.
Demand for nationwide consistency
Regional differences in public holidays also play an important role for many employees. Only nine public holidays apply equally across all German federal states. In addition, there are further public holidays that only apply in certain federal states or individual regions. According to the survey, 27% of employees would like to see a uniform number of public holidays across Germany. “For many employees, differences in public holidays increasingly feel out of step with a modern working world in which teams often collaborate across federal state borders,” says Wittich. “Different days off create organizational challenges and are perceived by many employees as unfair.”
About the survey
The data in this survey is based on online interviews with members of the YouGov panel. Panel members consented to taking part in the survey. For this survey, a total of 2,094 people were surveyed between May 4 and May 6, 2026, including 1,124 employees. The survey was quota-sampled by age, gender and region, and the results were subsequently weighted accordingly. The results are representative of the resident population in Germany aged 18 and over. Results are rounded.
About Dr. Anna Wittich
Dr. Anna Wittich is a labour market and career researcher at The Stepstone Group. As an expert on job search, applications, recruiting and job satisfaction, she analyzes how the expectations and experiences of employees, candidates and companies are changing in the labour market. Her work focuses on data-based studies on career paths, application behaviour, working conditions, willingness to change jobs and modern HR practices. In the media, interviews and speaking engagements, she combines scientific analysis with practical recommendations for employees, companies and policymakers.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutionsconnect more than 130 million job applications with about 130,000 employers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs about 3,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group Media Relations
press@stepstone.com
End of Media Release
Issuer: The Stepstone Group
Key word(s): Services
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| Language: | English |
| Company: | The Stepstone Group |
| Völklinger Straße 1 | |
| 40219 Düsseldorf | |
| Germany | |
| Internet: | https://www.thestepstonegroup.com/de/ |
| EQS News ID: | 2326124 |
| End of News | EQS Media |
2326124 12.05.2026 CET/CEST