Abstract

The working time meausurement system (AZR) of the IAB is continuously updated and further developed. In the AZR, collective bargaining changes and economic developments flow together with changes in the structure of the workforce and labour market policy. Overall, this gives a differentiated picture of the scope, structure and development of annual working hours and the volume of work of the employed. The IAB-AZR is integrated into the national accounts, which is why constant updates and data deliveries are necessary (approx. 15 times a year). In addition, a general revision of the national accounts is due in 2024; Important revision points include the integration of updated data sources and the conceptual revision of model calculations. In order to avoid breaks in the time series as much as possible, the results for Germany are recalculated back to 1991. Information on the 2024 general revision: The IAB Working Time Measurement system (AZR) is the key product on hours worked in Germany and is integrated into the statistics on labour input in the national accounts (NA) of the Federal Statistical Office. The AZR is of great importance for the comprehensive analysis of labour market trends and economic developments. The spectrum of questions that can be analysed with the time series of the AZR ranges from the contribution of individual working time components to the change in annual working hours to the relationship between production, employment, annual working hours and hourly productivity. The public is thus regularly provided with long, comparable time series on sector-specific working time and hours worked in Germany. The binding concepts and definitions of the national accounts, in which the general revision will be implemented in 2024, are authoritative for the NA. This also results in important revision points for the AZR, including - the integration of updated and revised data sources, for example the labour force accounting, employment and short-time work statistics, IAB employment history, health insurance data, surveys - the conceptual revision of the model calculations, especially for the overtime components, in particular the integration of the IAB Job Vacancy Survey - Examination of the extent to which ESA/Eurostat requirements regarding the recording of employees in the business concept for incoming BA statistics data can be implemented in accordance with the business concept; this applies in particular to sector-specific part-time rates and multiple employment In September 2024, the revised time series will be published for the first time and made available to the various data users, such as ministries, administrations, chambers and associations, research institutions and universities, banks and other companies as well as the media and private individuals.