The aggregate national supply of job openings and firms' procedures for filling Positions

Abstract

"The demand side of the labour market in Germany was long neglected with regard to statistics on and analysis of uncovered labour demand, placing diagnostic and prognostic estimates on shaky ground to a great extent. Research efforts to shed light on this 'blind spot' were particularly called for during phases when the economy was booming, as companies complained about a labour shortage, particularly a lack of skilled workers. There were frequent complaints about supposed or actual structural discrepancies on the labour market, functional weaknesses, and a lack of transparency. Statistics on job openings registered with the Labour Offices were increasingly criticised because they only partially reflect uncovered demand on the labour market. The calls for complete, up-to-date statistical documentation of total uncovered requirements for labour and the structure of such demand became increasingly audible. A 'reporting system on the aggregate national supply of jobs' was needed. The IAB followed up on those suggestions and in 1989 conducted the first representative survey of establishments with the main objective of combining information on unregistered openings with that of the openings registered by Bundesanstalt für Arbeit (BA) in order to determine the aggregate national supply of job openings. The survey has been conducted during the fourth quarter of every year since that time. It was expanded to include the new German Länder in 1992." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Magvas, E. & Spitznagel, E. (2002): The aggregate national supply of job openings and firms' procedures for filling Positions. In: IAB Labour Market Research Topics No. 51, p. 1-15.