Part-time work: Growth from within

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s the number of part-time employees in Germany has risen more than 110 percent. During this period, the figure for full-time employees declined by more than 20 per cent. Currently every third employee in Germany is involved in part-time work. This paper examines the economic and institutional factors that have led to the increase in part-time work, as well as changes in ways of earning a living, and provides an overview of the positive and negative aspects of this form of earning. The authors come to the conclusion that the increase in part-time work in western Germany since 1991 is primarily due to the advantages that this way of earning a living has in itself rather than to changes in the economic structure. Of decisive importance are the factors that actually differentiate part-time employment from full-time employment: higher flexibility, lower costs, lower social security contributions in marginal employment and the improved compatibility of family life and a work. Among the disadvantages faced by part-time workers are, according to the authors, that they are 'often held back and left to an unsure future'. Often they earn less per hour and thus chalk up less pension rights; often they spend less time in a company and therefore profit less from further in-house training. 'It is therefore also a task of the state to add improved social security and inclusion to the advantages of flexibility and productivity.' (IAB)

Cite article

Klinger, S. & Wolf, K. (2008): Teilzeitbeschäftigung: Wachstum aus eigener Kraft. In: IAB-Forum No. 1, p. 10-15.