Have Germans become lazy?

What happened to a nation that was once famous for being overworked? How come the economy hasn't grown in six years? Why should individuals work longer hours, and why don’t they? 

On Deutsche Welle talkshow „to the point“ Henrik Müller strove to put the current heated debate into perspective. He made three main points:

• German employment has never been as high as it is today. This was the major driver of decent economic growth in the 2010s.
• Currently, this trend is shifting into reverse, as baby boomer cohorts are reaching retirement age.
• Going forward, Germany needs a single clear economic policy priority: an "agenda for work“ – financial incentives to work longer hours (e.g., lower marginal tax wedge for lower and middle income earners); later retirement (e.g., higher deductions for early retirees, retirement age linked to life expectancy etc.); productivity-focused immigration policies.

The chancellor's call for working harder is cheap talk if it isn’t accompanied by policies that make it worthwhile.
 

Also on the show: Vendeline von Bredow (senior correspondent for The Economist, based in Berlin), John Kampfner (British journalist and author of the book „Why the Germans do it better“)

Host: Javier Arguedas