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In the foreseeable future, digitalization will most probably be the main driver of technological change. Implications can not only be expected as a result of smart automation but also across service industries. Digitalization will have various labour market impacts. They potentially refer to the level of employment, the composition of jobs, the demand for certain tasks and requirements of firms regarding skill levels. The main aim of the paper is to give a tentative answer to the question how far digitalization may induce either a worsening or an improvement of structural labour market problems. On the basis of conceptual considerations it deals with issues such as potential skill shortages, persistence of unemployment and the structure of employment forms. The result does not indicate that in the future such structural problems will easily be solved. Instead there is a need for reforms in areas such as education, training, labour market and social policies as well as social dialogue.

As a consequence of the global financial crisis Germany experienced the deepest slowdown of its economy since World War II. However, given the sharp decrease of GDP the German labour market was quite stable compared to previous recessions when the labour market response was stronger. Therefore, there are empirical indications for temporary labour hoarding and it can be shown that the most significant factor for securing jobs was a reduction of working time. At the beginning of the crisis the conditions for short-time work became more attractive to firms. Therefore, non-subsidised forms of working time reductions or labour hoarding were complemented by public subsidies in the form of short-time work.

Seit Beginn der 1990er Jahre befinden sich die Erwerbsformen im Wandel, die Zahl atypisch Beschäftigter legte kontinuierlich zu. Unser Fokus liegt in diesem Beitrag auf den Präferenzen und Motiven atypisch Beschäftigter und dabei insbesondere auf der Frage, ob die Aufnahme einer atypischen Beschäftigung auch im Sinne der Arbeitnehmer liegt oder diese eine Veränderung ihrer Beschäftigungssituation anstreben. Hierfür werden das Suchverhalten und Gründe für die Arbeitssuche näher betrachtet. Es zeigt sich, dass atypisch Beschäftigte häufiger als unbefristet Vollzeitbeschäftigte eine andere oder weitere Tätigkeit suchen, bei geringfügig Beschäftigten ist die Suchintensität am größten. Tendenziell suchen Männer, Geringqualifizierte sowie Personen ohne Partner häufiger eine andere Tätigkeit. In der letzten Dekade hat die Suchintensität atypisch Beschäftigter zugenommen, allerdings geht die höhere Suchintensität zum Ende der letzten Dekade nicht allein auf die Hartz- Reformen zurück, sondern insbesondere auch mit einer verbesserten Arbeitsmarktlage einher. Atypisch Beschäftigte, die nach einer anderen Tätigkeit suchen, stellen für die Arbeitsmarktpolitik ein besonderes Potenzial dar. Wird dieses Potenzial durch geeignete Maßnahmen und Initiativen erschlossen, würde mau damit einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Fachkräftesicherung, zur Stabilisierung von Erwerbsbiografien und zu individueller Aufwärtsmobilität leisten.

"Since the beginning of the 1990s, the composition of work arrangements has significantly changed. Whereas non-standard work arrangements such as part-time or temporary employment grew over time, standard work lost in importance. However, data from the German Labour Force Survey does - at least for the recent past - not show a clear indication for a much greater speed with respect to changes in the composition of work arrangements. In addition, developments are also driven by a long-term trend. Shift-share-analyses suggest that shifts in the demographic or industry composition of employment were only of minor importance as a driving force for the trend. This means that factors related to the behaviour of the parties involved have obviously played a decisive role. In this context it is important that Germany is a country with regulations creating incentives for an increased use of nonstandard work arrangements. Of relevance in this context are high social security contributions, a considerable level of employment protection, a stronger activation of unemployed due to recent labour market reforms and a still dominant male bread winner model." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Seit Anfang der 90er Jahre hat sich die Zusammensetzung der Erwerbsformen stark verändert. Vollzeitnahe, unbefristete Beschäftigungsverhältnisse ohne Zwischenschaltung einer Zeitarbeitsagentur haben in den letzten beiden Dekaden absolut und relativ an Bedeutung verloren. Atypische Erwerbsformen wie Teilzeitbeschäftigung, befristete Beschäftigung, Leiharbeit oder auch Ein-Personen-Selbstständige legten dagegen kräftig zu. Atypische Erwerbsformen treten bei Frauen besonders häufig auf und sind im tertiären Sektor stark verbreitet. Den Veränderungen liegt auch ein längerfristiger Trend zugrunde, der bereits deutlich vor den Hartz-Reformen einsetzte. Shift-Share-Analysen zeigen, dass der Wandel weniger aus strukturellen Veränderungen der Erwerbsarbeit wie der wachsenden Beschäftigung von Frauen oder auch den Arbeitsplatzzuwächsen im Dienstleistungssektor resultiert. Vielmehr gibt es Hinweise auf Verhaltensänderungen, für die institutionelle Faktoren, Marktmacht sowie veränderte Präferenzen und Bedürfnisse von Arbeitgebern und Arbeitnehmern verantwortlich sein dürften. Angesichts der schwierigen Gemengelage verbietet sich jedoch eine pauschale Beurteilung des Wandels, zumal sich auch hinter einzelnen Erwerbsformen ein hohes Maß an Heterogenität verbirgt.

The steady rise of non standard employment relationships, such as temporary agency work, fixed-term contracts and marginal part-time work cloud the successes of Germany’s recent “employment miracle”. This paper discusses the labour market effects of the rise of atypical employment, especially with regard to fixed-term employment, temporary agency work and marginal part-time work. Based on existing research studies, we discuss whether these non-standard work arrangements are a way out of unemployment into regular employment, whether they create additional jobs or if there has been a replacement of standard employment and also whether the changes have contributed to stronger labour market flexibility and an increase in matching efficiency. In conclusion, results are summarized and gaps in research identified.

In Folge der Finanzkrise ging die deutsche Wirtschaftsleistung im Jahre 2009 in einem bisher nicht da gewesenen Umfang zurück. Die Finanzkrise stoppte den bis in den Herbst 2008 andauernden Aufschwung am Arbeitsmarkt und führte im Nachgang zu Arbeitsplatzverlusten und einem Anstieg der Arbeitslosigkeit. Trotzdem zeigt sich der hiesige Arbeitsmarkt insgesamt ziemlich robust und ist wieder im Aufwärtstrend. Zu verdanken ist dies einer von Arbeitgebern, Arbeitnehmern und öffentlicher Hand praktizierten Beschäftigungsstabilisierung, die auf einem hohen Maß an internnumerischer Flexibilität und einem rationalen Verhalten aller Beteiligten beruht. Als Konsequenz ist jedoch - trotz der unverkennbaren wirtschaftlichen Erholung - eine Phase mit zunächst schwachem Beschäftigungswachstum zu erwarten, die den Arbeitsmarktzugang für wettbewerbsschwächere Personen erschweren wird.

This article addresses two issues in the context of globalization. First it considers whether the goals of successful employment policy and social equilibrium are at all reconcilable. Second it looks at ways in which the labour market prospects of workers who are at a competitive disadvantage, prospects which are poor in many countries, can be improved on a lasting basis. Using the example of export-oriented countries such as Denmark or the Netherlands, it shows that a social State which offers help but expects something back can be an integral part of an effective strategy to generate jobs. This is particularly true where earlier generous transfers are maintained while targeted incentives create the conditions for a flexible economy and a flexible labour market.

This article examines the ambivalent effect of social security on employment. First, an international comparison looks at protection from layoff by the employer, wage floors as defined in social and employment legislation, and levels of wage-related costs and their effect on employment. Simulations for western Germany are then used to analyse the effects on the labour market of lowering social security contributions. The conclusion which emerges is that the effects of social protection on employment are determined both by the way it is organized – and thus ultimately how much it costs – and by the way it is funded, i.e. who picks up the bill for social security.

There are two economic reasons for supporting the Internal Market Programme of the EC by social policies: the fust argument refers to welfare theory, the second to policies of distribution. First, it could be possible that an economic integration without social completion will lead to welfare losses. Therefore, it could be necessary to correct market forces or to support them respectively because, due to market imperfections, they do not provide the best possible use of productive facilities. Second, it cannot be excluded that level and structure of social provisions will not be accepted because of superior aspects of policies of distribution. Market results could miss the aim of adjusting life and working conditions within the EC and developing them further. These two arguments mentioned above should be followed up in the discussion of the pros and cons of a harmonization of social systems in the EC. For the purposes of this paper these. rather fundamental considerations are applied to the following concrete items: dismissal protection, non-standard forms of employment, and working hours. These regulations influence numerical flexibility of enterprises, i.e. the possibilities of quantitative adjustments in staff use. The steadily growing competition in Europe will also increase the importance of flexibility potentials of enterprises in the different countries as a relevant factor for enterprise location. Extensive flexibility restrictions could prove to be competitive disadvantage in view of countries with more possibilities of flexibilization.Therefore, after the comparison of flexibility potentials in the EC-countries the implications for European laws (key-word: Social Charter) are to be discussed.

Nevertheless, turnover rates have already revealed that starting a new job for older workers is seldom. This can also be seen by looking at the transitions from unemployment to employment. In 2010 about 21 per cent of all transitions of older workers out of unemployment led into unsubsidized employment while this figure amounts to about 30 per cent for the group between 25 and 49 years. This picture also arises when calculating the transition rate from unemployment to unsubsidized employment. In the year 2010, 3.9 per cent of the stock of older unemployed moved into unsubsidized employment while the ratio is about 7.2 per cent for unemployed between 25 and 49 years. The older unemployed people get, the poorer is their chance to find a job. For the age group from 55 to 59 the transition rate is 3.3%, for the 60 plus only 2.1%. The difficulties of bringing older unemployed back to work result in higher long-term unemployment. Compared to all unemployed the ratio of longterm unemployment among workers aged 50 plus is about 41 per cent in 2010 which is much higher than the share of

Even if we were to accept the rather optimistic expectations1 with regard to the future trend of economic growth, the acute unemployment problems of the European countries would not be anywhere near being solved within a foreseeable period. Regardless of the success of national economic policies, the question thus arises, at least in the short and medium terms, what additional possibilities exist for creating more employment? To bring unemployment down to the levels recorded in the US and Japan requires not only strong economic growth but also more employment-intensive growth.2 The inadequate employment intensity of economic growth is widely considered to be one of the most important reasons for the employment malaise from which Western Europe is suffering. The required increase in the employment intensity of growth can be achieved by more wage and/or more working-time flexibility.

In view of high and persistent unemployment in the European industrialised countries there is growing consensus that more flexibility is needed with regard to both the legal and institutional conditions governing the labour market (external flexibility) and the management of human resources within individual firms (internal flexibility). This article examines the interaction between internal and external flexibility with special reference to wages, working time and job security.

With the completion of the single European market steps are to be made towards eliminating remaining impediments to the free movement of labour between Community countries such as an inadequate flow of information or the non-recognition of educational or training qualifications. How do companies respond to the extension of national labour markets by a European component?

The role of private employment agencies in job placement has increased in importance in many European countries during the last decade, but in others the public employment services still exercise a monopoly. The following paper offers an assessment of the experiences to date.