Germany: Redundancy/Layoff

Germany's Pension Commission has proposed sweeping reforms that would fundamentally reshape retirement planning, workforce transitions, and employment structures. From dynamic retirement ages linked to life expectancy to the potential elimination of the senior part-time block model and minijobs, these recommendations carry profound implications for employers navigating restructuring, social plans, and pension commitments.

As the year draws to a close, we are issuing our last Focus on Labour Law for 2025 with its usual overview of important labour court decisions of the last few months and updates on new legislation.

On 28 May 2025, the European Parliament, Council and Commission reached a political agreement on the long-anticipated revision of Directive 2009/38/EC (the Current Directive) on European Works Councils (EWCs).

For many companies, staff cuts are unavoidable during the Corona crisis, when short-time work and government protective shielding measures are no longer sufficient.

Whether a reduction in staff is notifiable under s17 of the Consumer Protection Act depends on the thresholds set out in that section. The numbers of employees must be determined for each ...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all federal states in Germany have implemented containment measures, contact restrictions, and curfews.