Verena Tobsch

Non-Standard Employment Across Occupations in Germany: The Role of Replaceability and Labour Market Flexibility

The share of non-standard jobs in total employment has increased in Germany over recent decades. Research tends to attribute this in particular to labour market re-forms and socio-economic change. However, it becomes clear upon closer inspection that macro trends alone cannot provide satisfactory explanations. A striking yet rarely acknowledged aspect of the development in Germany is a large occupational heterogeneity, which is true for both current working conditions and trajectories of change. A process of asymmetric change has been witnessed in recent years, increasing the gap between occupational groups. Given this process, it seems increasingly questionable to aggregate data at the national level. Therefore, this paper analyses the role of different types of non-standard employment across occupations in Germany, explaining variation between occupations with reference to institutional conditions, industrial relations and patterns of labour supply and demand, in particular skill requirements.

Digitalisierung und Arbeitsmarkt: Aktuelle Entwicklungen und sozialpolitische Herausforderungen

Abstract This article focuses on the progressive digitisation of work and its consequences for employment and social protection. The first section discusses potential dimensions of change due to technological innovation while the second part provides a preliminary assessment of the evidence that is currently available as regards occupational change and labour market polarization both with respect to total employment and the role of non-standard types of employment by occupations. Furthermore, the articles summarises what we currently know about the scope of work organized via online platforms. The subsequent section discusses potential consequences for social protection in the digital age. Particular attention is given to the eventual growth of selfemployment or freelance work using platforms as intermediaries. To the extent that work is organised more and more outside dependent employment, making the coverage of social insurance more universal, irrespective of the formal type of employment, is likely to become a crucial issue.

How Big is the Gig? Assessing the Preliminary Evidence on the Effects of Digitalization on the Labor Market

This paper assesses the importance of digitalization in Germany and other developed countries with a particular attention to the potential or actual impact it may have on the labor market. Referring to available empirical evidence, we document the already developing transformation of occupations and forms of employment and the role of the platform economy, including the phenomenon of solo self-employment. We then derive current and future challenges for social protection and suggest some ideas to update social insurance in the face of these new challenges.

Rufbereitschaft aus betrieblicher Sicht: Bedeutung, Ausgestaltung und Erfahrung

Zusammenfassung. In diesem Beitrag werden auf Basis einer repräsentativen Betriebsbefragung die Verbreitungsmuster von Rufbereitschaft dargestellt. Im Fokus stehen dabei die Ausgestaltung und die Bedeutung von Rufbereitschaft für Betriebe in Deutschland. Darüber hinaus werden die Erfahrungen mit Rufbereitschaft bzw. die Vorund Nachteile aus Sicht von Personalverantwortlichen mit den Sichtweisen von Betriebsräten kontrastiert.