A reason for working in Germany, answered with sourced data.
In short: Work-life balance in Germany: see the sourced tables below; every figure shows its source and date.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
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NATIONAL (all Germany)Law Source: Federal laws on gesetze-im-internet.de (Federal Ministry of Justice) · Data: checked 07/11/2026
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Working time
Up to 8 hours a day, extendable to 10 if the average over 6 months is 8; breaks of 30 min after 6 hours and 45 min after 9; 11 hours rest between shifts (ArbZG §§3–5).
At least 24 working days on a 6-day week, i.e. 20 days on a 5-day week; full entitlement after 6 months of employment (BUrlG §§3–4). Many contracts and collective agreements give 25–30 days.
Statutory basic notice 4 weeks to the 15th or end of a month; longer for the employer after 2 years of service (up to 7 months after 20 years); probation up to 6 months with 2 weeks' notice (BGB §622). Contracts and collective agreements may differ.
The Protection Against Dismissal Act applies after 6 months of employment in establishments with more than 10 employees (KSchG §§1, 23): dismissal needs a valid reason.
Maternity protection 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after birth (12 weeks in special cases) (MuSchG); parental leave up to 3 years per child and parental allowance (Elterngeld) of 65–67% of net income, within a minimum €300 and maximum €1,800 a month (BEEG).
Summaries of statutes in force; individual contracts, collective agreements and later amendments can change your position. Ask a labour-law adviser, a union or a works council.
Statutory holiday, rest and working-time rules are minimums; collective agreements often give more (30 days and 35–38 hour weeks are common in covered sectors).
Live jobs: Bundesagentur für Arbeit – Jobsuche (public job-search interface of the Federal Employment Agency; ads published in the last 28 days; counts by facet)
Wages by single occupation, city and state (the official source we use covers 9 broad occupation groups, 2022). The Federal Employment Agency's pay atlas has no public data interface that we could use.
Rents and living costs by city; kindergarten fees (they differ by state and municipality).
Employee headcount by company for all employers: there is no free national register; we show live hiring and, where Wikidata has a dated figure, a reported group-wide headcount.
Union membership numbers and sector-by-sector collective-agreement pay tables.