Text: Thomas Masuch
The reasons for this economic decline are myriad, of course, and depending on whether you sympathize with the last German government, you probably blame either the geopolitical circumstances or home-grown failures in economic policy.
The areas in which Germany now leads the pack include energy prices, sick leave, and the amount of free time workers have. Across the world, no other country records fewer hours on the job: According to Globalhealth, the average time spent working in 2024 was 1,349 hours – far short of the hours turned in by employees in places like the United States (1,791), Poland (1,830), or South Korea (1,910). The youth of today don’t offer much in the way of hope, either. A survey conducted by the consulting firm EY found that just 43 percent of Gen-Z employees give their all at work, far below the 63 percent ascertained for baby boomers (those born between 1950 and 1964).
Recently, futurologist Maximilian Lude delivered another figurative gut punch to those looking for some glimmer of optimism. He said that while business models geared toward quality and perfection have taken Germany a long way, they are no longer practicable given the speed at which the world now turns. “The future will be about finding perfection in imperfection,” Lude stated on the ntv production so techt Podcast.
And as if all that weren’t enough, there was a shortage of rhubarb last year! Germany isn’t one of the world’s key rhubarb producers – think China, Belgium, and Spain – but it’s hard to imagine restaurants all over the country having to take an item as popular as rhubarb spritzer off the menu. The weather had evidently been so detrimental to the rhubarb harvest that there simply wasn’t enough of the refreshing beverage to go around.
Luckily, German artist Bode Wartke managed to produce something of a substitute in “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” (“Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar”) – a groovy, tongue-twisting tune that stormed up the international charts, as well. While not many listeners outside of the German-speaking countries will understand the rather unique lyrics, they actually do rhyme perfectly. It just goes to show you that real quality is an art form in itself…