Security of medicine supply is also a labour-market issue. Germany's 2025 Microcensus shows that 3.8 million workers wanted to reduce their working hours, while 1.5 million wanted to work longer. At the same time, around 13.4 million economically active people will reach the statutory retirement age by 2039. For pharmacies, pharmaceutical wholesalers and logistics providers, the answer is not a blanket call for more hours. Working time, qualifications, technology and resilient processes must fit together more effectively.
Working-time preferences in 2025: pressure in full-time work, unused potential in part-time work
According to the Federal Statistical Office release of 4 September 2026, people wishing to reduce their hours worked an average of 40.9 hours per week and wanted to work 10.5 hours less. Those wanting more work averaged 26.2 hours and also wanted to add 10.5 hours.
The distribution matters to employers. Of the 3.8 million people wishing to reduce their hours, 3.3 million worked full time. Of the 1.5 million wishing to increase their hours, 1.1 million worked part time. If every stated preference were realised, average weekly working time across all workers would fall by 0.6 hours, or 36 minutes.
These figures do not support simplistic judgements about willingness to work. They point to a distribution and job-design problem: some employees are near their workload limit, while voluntarily available working capacity elsewhere remains unused.
Demographic change increases the pressure to act by 2039
The labour market must address these preferences against the backdrop of an ageing workforce. According to a Federal Statistical Office analysis of the 2024 Microcensus, around 13.4 million economically active people will have passed the statutory retirement age of 67 by 2039. This is equivalent to 31 per cent of the economically active population available to the labour market in 2024. Younger age groups cannot fully replace the baby-boomer cohorts numerically.
Every avoidable departure therefore becomes more expensive. Knowledge, experience and contacts do not leave only on an employee's final day. Without an early handover, they erode gradually, particularly in regulated environments where process knowledge, pharmaceutical responsibility and documented routines are essential.
What this means for pharmacies
Pharmacies cannot freely postpone patient counselling, compounding, goods receipt, shortage management, emergency duty or quality assurance. Workforce gaps therefore affect opening hours, service, error risk and commercial resilience directly.
Four concrete risks
- Overloaded key people: knowledge and responsibility are concentrated among a small number of full-time employees.
- Unplanned working-time gaps: part-time potential remains unused when rotas, caring duties or job design prevent voluntary increases.
- Loss of knowledge: departing specialists hand over supplier knowledge, QMS routines and local operating details too late.
- Low productivity: qualified staff spend too much time on repetitive administration rather than pharmaceutical core tasks.
The response is a realistic workforce architecture: dependable core staffing, flexible time models, transparent skills matrices, documented deputies and digital relief. Explore tiger.PHARMA consulting for pharmacies.
Pharmaceutical logistics needs the right competence on every shift
In warehouses, picking and transport, a sufficient headcount on paper is not enough. GDP-relevant tasks require demonstrably qualified people, clear release authority and robust escalation paths. During demand peaks, cold-chain excursions, recalls or IT failures, the required competence must be available, not simply any employee.
Companies should therefore combine shift planning with qualification planning. Every critical task needs at least one documented deputy. Automation can stabilise scanning, inventory, routing and deviation processes, but it does not replace professional judgement or accountability. Relevant services are grouped under Pharmaceutical logistics and warehousing.
Seven measures for workforce planning and security of supply
- Record working-time preferences: at least annually and whenever team or life circumstances change.
- Unlock part-time potential voluntarily: offer predictable increases, job sharing and flexible shift modules.
- Reduce workload: measure and prioritise tasks, interruptions and administrative loops.
- Make qualifications visible: maintain an up-to-date matrix of roles, authorisations, training and deputies.
- Protect knowledge: begin handovers years before retirement and document critical workflows.
- Digitalise and automate: standardise recurring data capture, stock checks and communication.
- Manage productivity and quality together: time savings must not weaken counselling, GDP or the QMS.
tiger.PHARMA: work organisation as part of the supply chain
tiger.PHARMA connects organisation, procurement, data, QMS and pharmaceutical logistics. We analyse task and time structures, identify bottlenecks in roles and shifts, develop deputy and knowledge-transfer models and prioritise automation where it measurably relieves qualified staff. The goal is not blanket work intensification, but resilient supply with clear responsibilities.
Discuss workforce, process and supply planning with tiger.PHARMA.
FAQ: working time, demographics and medicine supply
Do people in Germany want to work less overall?
In 2025, more workers expressed a wish to reduce their hours than to increase them. If every preference were realised, average weekly working time would fall by 0.6 hours. The data also show substantial potential for additional hours among part-time workers.
Why is this especially relevant to pharmacies?
Many pharmacy tasks require specific qualifications, are time-critical and cannot be postponed freely. Workforce planning therefore directly influences counselling, availability, the QMS and opening hours.
How does demographic change affect pharmaceutical logistics?
As large cohorts retire, knowledge retention, qualification matrices, deputy models and automation become more important in GDP-relevant processes.
Can automation solve the workforce shortage?
Automation can reduce repetitive tasks and improve process quality. Professional decisions, releases and accountability remain with qualified people.
Official sources and editorial scope
- Federal Statistical Office: working-time preferences in 2025, release no. 314 of 4 September 2026
- Federal Statistical Office: 13.4 million economically active people will reach retirement age by 2039, 3 September 2025
The implications for pharmacies and pharmaceutical logistics are a professional analysis by tiger.PHARMA. The Federal Statistical Office data describe the labour market as a whole and do not permit a direct industry-specific projection.