Working Hours Flexibility, Fixed-Term Contracts, and Temporary Employment: On the Effects of Reforms and the Possible Need for Reforms

Abstract

"The IAB has been asked for their expertise on various aspects of the labour market for the preparation of the annual report of the German Council of Economic Experts (Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung) for several years now. For the current annual 2018/2019 report, these aspects included, among other things, the effects of the reform of the Temporary Employment Act (Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz) as well as the reform of the right to term limitation as agreed in the Coalition Treaty of the Federal Government and a possible need for reforms of the Working Time Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz). In the autumn of 2018, the IAB commented, on the one hand, on the effects of limiting fixed-term employment without stating any pertinent reasons, among other things, to the proposed allocation of quotas and the limitation of the duration of fixed terms as well as several consecutive fixed terms. On the other hand, the IAB looked into the effects of the reform of the Temporary Employment Act, which entered into force on 1 April 2017. One of the major changes, the reform provides for equal pay for leased employees and regular employees of comparable stance after nine months at the hiring company as well as a limitation of the maximum labour leasing duration to 18 months at the same hiring company. The IAB also commented on the need for modernisation of the German Working Time Act and shared its opinions about whether, and to what extent, employees are available for work-related issues outside of their regular working hours due to modern communication media. The present opinion summarises the findings on these three groups of themes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bauer, F., Buch, T., Haller, P., Hohendanner, C., Jahn, E., Weber, E. & Wolter, S. (2018): Zu den Auswirkungen der Reformen von befristeter Beschäftigung und Zeitarbeit sowie möglichem Reformbedarf bei der Arbeitszeitregulierung. (IAB-Stellungnahme 13/2018), Nürnberg, 16 p.