In 2025, one in ten people in work aged 25 to 64 cared for relatives. This is according to initial results from the Labour Force Survey published by the Federal Statistical Office , published on 12 November 2026. The responsibility was unevenly shared: the figure was 12 per cent among women in work and 8 per cent among men.
The survey records regular help for relatives aged 15 and over who are ill, in need of care or disabled. As well as personal care, this includes shopping, cooking and help with organisational tasks. The figures therefore cover a broader range of family support, not just physical care. The amount of time spent providing support did not initially affect how it was classified.
Older people in work were particularly likely to take on these tasks. The figure was 17 per cent among those aged 55 to 64 and 12 per cent among those aged 45 to 54. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, it was 4 per cent. Seven per cent of all people in work in the age group studied supported relatives outside their household. Three per cent cared for relatives or their partner in their own household.
Several responsibilities overlapped for some workers: 4 per cent of people in work aged 35 to 54 cared for both children and relatives. The results therefore show an intersection between family care and and persistent differences between population groups. The rates alone do not reveal the reasons for these differences., but do not in themselves provide information about the quality or organisation of the care in question.
There were also differences in the time involved. Of the women in work with caring responsibilities, 36 per cent spent at least ten hours a week on them. The figure for men was 29 per cent. Overall, one third of working carers spent this much time.
For many, caring affected how they organised their work. Twenty-eight per cent of people in work with such responsibilities had adjusted their working arrangements as a result. The most common change was a temporary reduction in working hours: 13 per cent cited this. Six per cent worked different hours but the same number of hours overall, while 4 per cent temporarily made greater use of working from home. Women reported making changes more often than men, at 33 per cent compared with 22 per cent.
Among women in work who provided care, 59 per cent worked part-time, compared with 48 per cent of women without such responsibilities. The corresponding figures for men were 15 and 10 per cent. This does not in itself show that caring was the reason for working part-time.
The figures are based on self-reported information from a supplementary module of the European Labour Force Survey. This is part of Germany in the microcensus ; the results are extrapolated to the population as a whole. The published figures are initial results for 2025, not a measure of the current care situation in November 2026.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).