Germany has been experiencing a worker crisis for a long time, adding to the general one that is affecting the world economy, hit in recent months by energy prices and supplies. To try to deal with it, several supermarket chains in the country propose reduce your business hoursa way to reduce spending and also to promote employment.
Who has launched the hare has been tegut, owned by the Swiss group Migros and one of the main retail distribution companies in the country. The general manager of the chain, Thomas Gutberlethas addressed the authorities of the 16 federated states –land– Germans exposing their plan to combat the energy crisis with a general reduction of business hours throughout the country, for at least three months.
Traditionally, the Germanic Central European countries, as well as Switzerland and Austria, have very different opening hours in public businesses than the usual in Spain, opening even at 6 in the morning and closing in the early afternoon in certain smaller towns. In recent years these hours have been extended, especially in the largest cities in Germany, which also have different legislation in each state.
Tegut proposes to follow the example of Bavaria, which currently has general opening hours maximum until 20 hoursfrom Monday to Saturday, to minimize the energy consumption of supermarkets and other businesses, and also facilitate the working day. It is a measure similar to that shared by other companies, such as Edeka, which has already closed some of its premises at noon, a measure also motivated by the lack of personnel that the country is facing.
As already explained in Magnet, the lack of workers in Germany is a problem that has been worrying the country for some time, and it is only getting worse. One of the solutions that has been considered the most, also motivated after the confinements of the pandemic, has been reduce the working day to 42 hours per weekwhich are already being tested by several companies in other countries.
Limiting business hours and bringing back a more restrictive opening could help alleviate two of the most serious problems that threaten the economy of the great powers, reducing energy expenditure, reducing costs, and attracting new workers to fill those millions of vacant positions.
If basic stores like grocery stores close too soon, they would also have to adapt schedules of the rest of the population, perhaps too accustomed as we are in Spain to being able to go shopping at almost nine at night.
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