"Is Working for a Salary a Bad Thing? The Perspective of 59% of Germans Reflects a Shift in Work Attitudes Familiar to Japan"

Can someone who says "work is for money" be labeled as cold?

If asked why you head to work on a Monday morning, what would you say?

To grow. To be of service to someone. To continue doing what you love. On the other hand, answers like paying rent, eating, and supporting your family are also perfectly natural.

A survey on work attitudes reported in Germany indicates that reasons directly connected to living are becoming stronger among workers.

According to a dpa article published by Fehmarn24, an annual survey by insurance company HDI revealed that 59% of employees work "only or mainly for money." This is 17 points higher than the previous year and almost double the level before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

The survey was conducted by YouGov from June 10 to July 3, with responses from 3,844 employees. According to the original article, HDI explains that the survey is representative of Germany as a whole and each state.

However, the 59% cannot be read as the percentage of people who find no fulfillment in their work at all. This figure combines "only for money" and "mainly for money."

There are people who prioritize salary while dealing sincerely with customers. There are those who take pride in their skills while working for a living. Seeking income and working responsibly can coexist.

"Wanting to quit" is not just a young person's issue

Another noteworthy point is the response if economic necessity were to disappear.

Among those aged 15 to 54, 54% said they would like to end their professional lives as soon as possible if they no longer needed to work for money. For those aged 55 to 64, this percentage reached 63%.

The original article reports that both age groups had higher work motivation the previous year, with a significant decline in the importance of work, especially among older people.

These results cannot be explained by the notion that "recent young people do not want to work." The generation considering retirement is also reevaluating their distance from work.

However, this survey alone cannot definitively attribute the reasons to fatigue or disappointment with the workplace. There are multiple conceivable backgrounds, such as wanting to spend time with family, travel while healthy, or engage in other activities.

Furthermore, 54% of those under 54 said they "cannot imagine a life without work."

Even with the same percentage, it's unclear from the article whether the same respondents chose both options. Nonetheless, it highlights the difficulty of reducing workers' feelings to a binary choice of liking or disliking work.

Wanting to distance oneself from the current way of working does not necessarily contradict not wanting to lose social connections or roles.

In Japan, over 60% also work "for money," but a direct comparison with Germany is not possible

Looking at Japan, this issue cannot be dismissed as a unique phenomenon in a distant country.

In the Cabinet Office's "Public Opinion Survey on National Life" conducted in August of Reiwa 7, 63.5% of respondents chose "to earn money" as their purpose for working. "To find a sense of purpose" was 13.1%, "to fulfill duties as a member of society" was 10.7%, and "to demonstrate one's talents and abilities" was 7.1%.

However, it is inappropriate to conclude that Japan has less attachment to work than Germany based on the 59% in Germany and 63.5% in Japan. The German survey targets employees, and the Cabinet Office survey differs in target and questions. "Working mainly for money" is not the same as choosing a purpose for working from a list of options.

What can be commonly interpreted is that the purpose of earning income cannot be relegated to the periphery of work perspectives.

When considering Japanese workplaces, interpreting the desire for salary as "lack of fulfillment" or "weak company loyalty" would miss the point.

For example, there are people who love their work but lose time with family due to overtime. There are those who feel a sense of purpose but cannot envision a future due to uncertain income prospects. These are hypothetical examples, but they demonstrate the need to separately address evaluations of job content and working conditions.

In related discussions on social media, "wanting to protect one's livelihood" and "wanting meaning" coexist

Direct social media reactions to the German article were not found within the confirmed range. Here, we introduce a public Reddit post dealing with the same topic of "money and job fulfillment." This is not a reaction to the current survey, nor does it represent aggregated public opinion.

In the thread "Do you work for passion or for money?" on August 11, 2026, there were opinions about choosing a job that covers living expenses and using leisure time for what one loves. There was also concern that turning a passion into a source of income might make one dislike it.

These statements reflect an attitude that values time outside of work. The idea is that it is not necessary to fulfill all self-realization at the workplace, as long as one can earn an income that supports hobbies and relationships.

In the same thread, there were responses about wanting both income and passion if possible, but also having jobs continued solely for money. Real-life job selection does not fit neatly into simple categories of idealism or compromise.

Meanwhile, a post in the Singapore-related community on December 11, 2025, shared an experience of realizing that a job left behind had given a sense of purpose and happiness after taking a break.

Work can be both a means of supporting life and a place to gain a sense of being needed by someone. Both aspects were reflected in related posts.

For Japanese readers, it might be more helpful to organize what they seek in work and outside of work, rather than deciding which is correct.

Expectations for AI and the anxiety of "Am I needed?"

AI was also a major theme in the HDI survey.

In the three areas of reducing the burden of routine tasks, improving individual work outcomes, and enhancing productivity, roughly one in four people expected or had already experienced positive effects.

On the other hand, 42% predicted that the use of AI would lead to staff reductions, and 9% had already experienced such situations in their immediate environment.

It's important to note here that 42% did not actually lose their jobs. Regarding the 9%, it does not represent the percentage of respondents who themselves became unemployed.

Additionally, 41% named IT developers as a profession they believe will become unnecessary due to AI, followed by financial and tax advisors at 38%, advertising and marketing at 36%, and office work at 35%. Chefs were only mentioned by 3%.

These are not calculated probabilities of job extinction by profession but rather the perceptions of respondents. It cannot be read as "41% of IT developers will become unemployed" or "chefs are absolutely safe."

When considering implications for Japanese workplaces, how AI implementation is explained to workers becomes the focus.

For example, even with the same reduction in work hours, the perception will change if the freed-up time can be used for learning, rest, or improving customer service, versus if additional tasks are piled on.

This is not a directly proven causal relationship from the survey but a consideration based on the results. As long as expectations and anxieties about AI coexist, leaving the purpose of efficiency and how its outcomes are received ambiguous will not easily lead to reassurance.

Before saying "find fulfillment," what workplaces should confirm

What can Japanese companies consider from this survey?

First, is the workplace one where it's easy to talk about compensation? In an environment where expressing salary desires leads to questioning one's motivation, the true feelings of workers will remain hidden.

Next, are there opportunities to feel a sense of purpose in work? If one can see who their achievements reach and what improvements have been made, it might change their perception of work. However, this should not replace appropriate compensation.

And, can one maintain a life outside of work? Spending time on family, health, hobbies, and learning does not conflict with a sense of responsibility toward one's profession.

The answer "I would quit if I had money" may not only reflect a rejection of work itself but also a desire to change current conditions. Therefore, rather than defining a person by those words alone, it is meaningful to ask what is burdensome and what changes would make them want to continue.

Even if salary is at the center of the reason for working, good work can be done. Even with pride in one's work, there is no need to dedicate one's entire life to the workplace.

In front of the 59% figure, the question is not only "Why can't you love your work more?"

Is this workplace a place where workers can live with peace of mind and feel satisfied with how they spend their time?

Source URL

1. Fehmarn24/dpa "Berufestudie: Viele Menschen arbeiten nur noch fürs Geld"
   Source of HDI/YouGov survey's 59%, age-specific responses, number of respondents and period, AI-related figures.
   https://www.fehmarn24.de/wirtschaft/berufestudie-viele-menschen-arbeiten-nur-noch-fuers-geld-zr-94517077.html

2. Cabinet Office "Public Opinion Survey on National Life (August Reiwa 7 Survey)"
   Source of response percentages regarding the purpose of working in Japan, such as 63.5%.
   https://survey.gov-online.go.jp/living/202509/r07/r07-life/

3. Cabinet Office, same survey questionnaire
   Reference for questions and options regarding the purpose of working. Reference for why the Japanese and German surveys cannot be simply compared.
   https://survey.gov-online.go.jp/living/202509/r07/r07-life/questionnaire/

4. Reddit/r/AskReddit "What do you believe in? Working for passion or working for money?"
   Discussion on August 11, 2026, about prioritizing living expenses and leisure, and voices wishing for both income and passion. Not a direct reaction to the current German article.
   https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1vlelvr/what_do_you_believe_in_working_for_passion_or/

5. Reddit/r/askSingapore "Do you work for passion or work solely for money?"
   Post on December 11, 2025, sharing an experience of realizing a sense of purpose and happiness from a job after taking a break. Not a direct reaction to the current German article.
   https://www.reddit.com/r/askSingapore/comments/1pk2ss9/do_you_work_for_passion_or_work_solely_for_money/