Germany’s chancellor thinks his fellow citizens need to work harder. Here’s why he’s wrong

People in Germany have taken the idea of a work-life balance too far. To get their economy back on track, they must work more.

Well, that’s what the country’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, thinks. And this controversial claim has triggered a debate in Germany over laziness.

So have Germans become complacent? Could working longer hours help to overcome sluggish growth? The short answer is no.

The true problem lies not with Germans’ work ethic, but with demographic change...