Abstract

This paper discusses the working and employment conditions of recalled employees by a previous employer after a temporary layoff. “Recalls” are a neglected but important new form of discontinuous employment. Recalls are often associated with precarious employment that is characterized by low income, job insecurity, part time work or poor working conditions like high physical strains, non-standard working times as well as low-skilled work. However, skilled workers are more likely to be recalled and the wages for recalled employees are higher than for people who changed the employer directly after reemployment. Moreover, employees who are less flexible in rearranging working and living conditions are more likely to enter into a recall. Therefore, the questions arise (1) which different types of employment relationships exist for recalled employees with regard to working and employment conditions and requirements? (2) Which recalled employees are more likely to be affected by certain types of employment and working conditions, and (3) which firm-specific determinants explain these differences? To identify and explain different types of employment of recalled employees a latent class analysis is applied to the German Job Vacancy Survey data (EGS) of the German Institute of Employment Research. This data provides information on the employment arrangement, working conditions, quality of job match as well as information on the firm-specific context and the employees.