10 years of Book II of the Social Code : comprehensive reforms with wide-reaching consequences

Abstract

With the fourth stage of the Hartz Reform in 2004/05, a radical labour-market and sociopolitical structural change came about at three levels: the traditional culture of the social state was broken down in favour of a recommodification of labour power; the institution of the head of household or breadwinner was effectively done away with; and the administrative and institutional structure of social security and job placement was remodelled. Since these reforms, the labour market in Germany, as in North Rhine-Westphalia, has developed in a positive way, the number of persons in employment has increased, and underemployment has dropped; on the other hand, the integration chances of the unemployed persons that remain, in particular those of the long-term unemployed, have decreased. In the criticism of the introduction of Book Two of the Social Code (SGB II), the topic "quality of work" and the increase in forms of work that diverge from normal working relationships (temporary agency work, low-wage relationships, temporary contracts) take up a great deal of space. (IAB)

Cite article

Bauer, F. (2014): 10 Jahre Sozialgesetzbuch II. Umfassende Reformen mit weitreichenden Folgen. In: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Regionaldirektion Nordrhein-Westfalen (Hrsg.) (2014): 10 Jahre Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende in Nordrhein-Westfalen : auf dem langen Weg von der Verwaltung zur Gestaltung, p. 2-5.