The state as an employer : how do working conditions differ in the public and private sector?

Abstract

"Empirical labour market research in Germany seldom focuses on the state as an employer. When analyzing working conditions across sectors, the almost complete coverage with collective agreements and works councils in the public sector has to be taken into account. Therefore, using the IAB Establishment Panel we compare different aspects of working conditions, but only for firms in both sectors that belong to the 'core zone' of industrial relations. Going one step further, a matching framework is used to obtain comparable units in the public and private sector. Our results show that the state as an employer still provides better working conditions than privately owned firms despite ongoing trends to implement market rules. In addition, our twofold empirical approach reveals that results derived from a mere comparison of firms with collective agreements and works councils do prove reliable." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Ellguth, P. & Kohaut, S. (2011): Der Staat als Arbeitgeber. Wie unterscheiden sich die Arbeitsbedingungen zwischen öffentlichem Sektor und der Privatwirtschaft? In: Industrielle Beziehungen, Vol. 18, No. 1-2, p. 11-38. DOI:10.1688/1862-0035_IndB_2011_01-02_Ellguth