Merz is using Switzerland as a model—and citing incorrect figures

Here's what it's all about

• German Chancellor Merz stated in a summer interview that the Swiss work 200 hours more per year than Germans.
• This figure applies only to full-time employees. When all employees are taken into account, the difference shrinks to less than one hour per week, because significantly more people in Switzerland work part-time.
• Experts warn against using Switzerland as a model: The high standard for full-time work is forcing women in particular into part-time work.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had little to smile about during Sunday’s ZDF summer interview. Among other things, journalist Diana Zimmermann confronted him with the resignation of parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn and the accusation that his government was losing credibility.

Merz, who is currently struggling in the polls, struck a combative tone: He sees the main problem as being in his communication—not in his decisions.

The chancellor was particularly clear when asked about Germans’ work performance. “The Swiss work 200 hours more than the Germans,” Merz said in the interview. He rejected the accusation that he was implying people were lazy: “I have never accused anyone of personal laziness.” His concern, he explained, is with the total number of hours worked in the economy and the problem of low productivity.

Friedrich Merz gave a summer interview to ZDF on Sunday evening.

KEYSTONE/DPA/Dominik Asbach

The figure—that we Swiss work 200 hours more than our neighbors in the large canton—is not new. As early as April, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann addressed it in an interview with “Blick”: “We need to boost productivity. We have to roll up our sleeves again. The Swiss work 200 hours more per year than the Germans. Yet the Swiss still have vacations and free time.”

«The Swiss work 200 hours more than the Germans.»

Friedrich Merz

German Chancellor

Even though Kretschmann is considered someone who understands Switzerland and the German chancellor’s praise would flatter the Swiss spirit: A fact-check by ZDF puts the “Milchbüechli” calculation into perspective and states, somewhat cryptically, that the figure does not reflect “the full picture when it comes to working hours.”

Do not include part-time employees

According to the Federal Statistical Office, full-time employees in Switzerland worked an average of 42.5 hours per week in 2025, while in Germany the figure was only 38.4. Calculated over the course of a year, that actually amounts to a difference of about 200 hours.

However, if all workers are included, the lead shrinks to less than one hour per week, according to the German Federal Statistical Office, the lead shrinks to less than one hour per week: 35.1 hours in Switzerland compared to 34.2 in Germany.

The reason: Significantly more people work part-time in Switzerland than in Germany. In addition, the Swiss retirement age—65—is lower than the German one; for women born before 1964, it is even lower. And in any case, total working hours say little about a country’s economic strength—in 2024, the European leaders in weekly working hours were Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Switzerland as a Model? Study Warns Against It

The Institute for Economic and Social Research (WSI) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, which has close ties to labor unions, also warns in a study against declaring the Swiss work-time culture a model for Germany. The authors, Bettina Kohlrausch and Noémie Zurlinden, point out, among other things, the high standard for full-time work in Switzerland, which averages 41.7 hours per week. Their conclusion: “A high standard for full-time work leads to a high proportion of part-time employees.”

The reason for this is that, because women continue to shoulder the lion’s share of child care, caregiving, and housework, they are more likely to opt for part-time positions when faced with longer working hours. This does not necessarily mean that women work less; rather, they simply perform a larger portion of their work without pay.

The authors of the study therefore argue against further “flexibilization” of working hours in Germany. Instead, they say, there is a need for a better work-life balance, an expansion of child care and elder care services, and a more equitable distribution of care work between the sexes.

Added to this are health consequences: In Switzerland, employees are more likely to work during their free time, often falling short of the required rest periods. Long working hours, however, increase the risk of stress and workplace accidents.

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