Germany: Unreliable childcare forces parents into part-time

"Too many people are working part-time, he has repeatedly said, and for Germany to be prosperous, they must transition to full-time jobs. At the same time, a new study by the Hans-Bockler Foundation's Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI) shows that an increasing number of parents are left with no choice but to work part-time due to staff shortages, closures, and reduced operating hours at childcare centers."

"Under the current circumstances, working parents cannot plan reliably, and women in particular have to think twice about whether they can take up or expand gainful employment. The current debate on working hours is often misguided: First, we need further massive investment in a truly reliable infrastructure for early education, especially better staffing. There is still a shortage of hundreds of thousands of childcare spots,"

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the CDU frame an 'exaggerated' work-life balance as driving part-time employment and call for more people to move into full-time jobs to support prosperity. A WSI study finds that childcare staff shortages, closures, and reduced operating hours are pushing many parents into part-time work. Findings indicate current conditions prevent reliable planning for working parents, and women often face difficult choices about taking or expanding paid employment. The study calls for massive investment in early-education infrastructure and staffing to address a shortage of hundreds of thousands of childcare spots. DJI data show just over half of parents need external childcare, with only 33% having coverage for all required work hours. A survey of about 900 families found 54% experienced sudden childcare gaps; 30% reduced working hours and 42% relied on informal care.

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