More employment at any price?

Abstract

"Over the last two decades the employment landscape has changed. Normal working relationships - defined as dependent, permanent full-time employment subject to social security contributions - have become less important. More and more, gainful employment is being carried out on a part-time basis, often not or not fully subject to social security, or the job is arranged on a temporary basis or as agency work. Self-employment is also gaining in importance. Along with an increase in atypical forms of employment, the continual growth of the low-wage sector is a further significant structural change in the employment landscape. At the same time however, the developments described are not precisely delimited, as low-wage employment may apply to normal working relationships as well as to atypical forms of employment.<br>Two fundamental questions arise from these changes in the nature of employment: the first concerns the effect on level, that is, whether employment in general would have developed in a more favourable or less favourable way without the changes. In addition - in times of continuingly high and once more rising unemployment - the openness of the labour market is of especial importance. Do atypical employment relationships and low-paid jobs facilitate the transition out of unemployment and into the labour market, hereby fulfilling a bridging function? Both questions are examined below: first, and in detail, atypical forms of employment then the low-wage sector. (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Dietz, M. & Walwei, U. (2010): Mehr Beschäftigung um jeden Preis? In: K. Kaudelka & G. Kilger (Hrsg.) (2010): Die Arbeitswelt von morgen : wie wollen wir leben und arbeiten?, p. 57-87.