Research in this field centres on the structures of, and trends in, employment and job vacancies at companies, with a particular emphasis on the analysis of demand for skilled and unskilled workers. The spotlight here is very much on job-specific and qualification-specific aspects, while contractual structures such as fixed-term contracts, companies’ com-mitment to recruitment, training and professional development, industrial relations, innovation and productivity also have a role to play.
The IAB shines a light on the quality of employment too, with particular attention paid to the work demands associated with the various occupations and forms of employment, the associated pay, job security and job satisfaction, and how individuals subjectively perceive the quality of their employment.
Key contextual factors in the analysis include globalisation and technological and environmental change, as well as institutional considerations such as minimum wages and the right to collective bargaining and co-determination.
This focus area also conducts the research – such as the IAB Establishment Panel (IAB-Betriebspanel) and the IAB job vacancy survey (IAB-Stellenerhebung) – that generates the data needed to provide answers to these questions. By linking company data with individual data, for example in the linked-employer-employee data of the IAB (LIAB) and the linked personnel panel (LPP), both the employers’ and the employees’ perspectives can be taken into account. This research is supported by surveys among newly founded companies and polls on topics that are currently relevant to the labour market.
In 2024, the IAB will explore how the minimum wage is impacting on recruitment processes, and will look at how interim employment companies are shaping wage trends, for example, and the likelihood of finding a new job. The structure and development of companies’ training activities will also be analysed, as will awareness of the ‘AsA flex’ (assisted training) funding programme.
Further research based on the linked personnel panel (LPP) will examine working from home, remote working, structural change and continuing professional development. And finally, a number of approaches to making the results of surveys on the company-side of the labour market available more regularly, while also integrating elements of existing surveys, will be trialled.
Activities
Departments
- Research Department Active Labour Market Policies and Integration
- Research Department Labour Market Processes and Institutions
- Research Group Occupations in the Transformation
- Research Department Establishments and Employment
- Research Data Centre
- Statistical Methods
- Working Group Occupations
- Working Group Minimum Wage
- Working Group Quality of Employment
Contact
