Compared to permanent employment contracts, fixed-term contracts are less attractive. However, a recent IAB study shows that fixed-term contracts are not necessarily disadvantageous, even if permanent contracts are preferable from the employees’ point of view. The decisive factors are less related to the contract type and more related to an individual’s career and professional development. Particularly in economically uncertain times, it is worth taking another look at the various forms of employment. Neither the transition from fixed-term to permanent employment nor vice versa leads to wage reductions. In addition, both types of contracts offer the unemployed similar opportunities for integration.
- IAB Short Policy Report 13/2025: Fixed-term employment contracts: No negative wage effects when transitioning to fixed-term employment
- Facts and Figures: Fixed-term employment in Germany 2024 (in German language)