* 2024 Sees Slight Reduction in Average Workdays Nationwide
* Impact on Q1 2024 GDP Due to Early Easter and Calendar Variances
Wiesbaden, Germany – The leap year 2024 brings an additional workday on February 29, leading to an average of 248.8 workdays across Germany, destatis said Tuesday.
Despite the leap year, this figure is 0.6 days fewer than the previous year, which had 249.4 workdays, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This decrease is attributed to the varying placement of holidays, festive days like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and weekends compared to 2023. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2024, there is an average decrease of 1.6 workdays nationally, largely due to the early Easter holidays.
This reduction in workdays is expected to impact the development of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2024. The number of workdays is a significant factor influencing economic performance. A general rule of thumb is that each additional workday contributes to an increase in the GDP by approximately 0.1 percentage points. However, the actual effect can vary due to other influencing factors.
Looking at the long-term perspective, 2024, with its 248.8 workdays, is positioned in the mid-range. The year with the highest number of workdays was 2004, boasting 252.8 days, while the lowest was recorded in 1991 with 246.9 days. Due to the variation in the number of holidays across different federal states, the average number of workdays in Germany is often expressed with a decimal point.