More and more people commute to work

The tight situation on the housing markets of the large metropolises is changing the way people live. Due to the shortage of supply, many city dwellers are increasingly looking for flats in the suburbs of the big cities or in the countryside. This lengthens the distances to work, school and utilities.

More workers in Germany are commuting again. In 2022, 20.3 million employees subject to social security contributions worked in a municipality other than the one in which they live - in 2021, this figure was still 19.6 million. In contrast, the share of commuters among all employees subject to social security contributions who live in Germany remained stable at 60 per cent. This is the result of an evaluation by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) based on data from the Federal Employment Agency.

Both the number and the share of commuters with a one-way commute of more than 30 kilometres increased significantly compared to the previous year. 7.1 million commuters covered more than 30 kilometres to work in 2022 (2021: 6.6 million), 3.9 million more than 50 kilometres (2021: 3.6 million). The average one-way commute also increased from 16.9 kilometres in 2021 to 17.2 kilometres in 2022.

The list of independent cities and districts with the longest average commuting distances is headed by the districts of Ludwigslust-Parchim (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 27.4 kilometres) and Altmarkkreis Salzwedel (Saxony-Anhalt, 27.3 kilometres). They are followed by the districts of Märkisch-Oderland (Brandenburg, 27.2 kilometres), Landsberg am Lech (Bavaria, 27.0 kilometres) and Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm (Bavaria, 26.4 kilometres). The data does not show which means of transport is used to travel to work.

"Especially in the further hinterland of the labour market centres Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg, we observed an increase in commuting distances again after years of stagnation," says BBSR expert Thomas Pütz. "This indicates that small and medium-sized cities further away are also becoming increasingly attractive for employees as places to live - especially since home offices and other forms of mobile work allow more flexibility."

(Photo: © Markus Distelrath, Pixabay)