Germany's night shift economy thrives with 4 million overnight workers in 2024

From airport runways to factory floors, night shifts power key industries. But who's working these hours—and why are younger men dominating the graveyard shift?

, and Administrator

2026 March 24 . 5:07 PM

1 min read

The image shows a black and white photo of a group of women working in a textile factory. They are... — The image shows a black and white photo of a group of women working in a textile factory. They are sitting on chairs and working on machines, with tables on the left side of the image. In the background, there is a wall with a clock, and at the bottom right corner there is some text.

Germany's night shift economy thrives with 4 million overnight workers in 2024

Night work remains a significant part of Germany's labour market in 2024. Nearly 4.0 million employees—9.3% of the total workforce—regularly worked overnight shifts. Some industries relied on night staff far more than others, with aviation and security leading the way. The aviation sector topped the list, where 42.6% of workers were on night shifts. Security services and detective agencies followed closely at 40.2%. Metal production and processing ranked third, with 31.1% of its workforce operating overnight.

Other sectors also saw higher-than-average night work rates. Warehousing and transport services recorded 18.6%, while healthcare stood at 17.6%. Hospitality had 13.9% of employees working nights. Men were more likely to work night shifts (11.7%) compared to women (6.5%). Younger employees, aged 34 and under, had the highest rate at 10.6%. Mid-career workers, aged 35 to 54, followed with 9.6%.

The data highlights how certain industries depend heavily on overnight labour. Aviation, security, and metal processing stand out for their high proportions of night workers. Meanwhile, younger and male employees continue to make up a larger share of the night workforce.