Evidence from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain reveals that social partners are closely involved in setting up national strategies to manage digital change in the world of work. Up to now, this has been a high-level affair and there are only a few collective agreements or
The last general parliamentary election in Germany, which was held on 27 September 2009, brought to an end the incumbent coalition government between the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD [1]) and the conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic
On 30 July 2009, the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Olaf Scholz, suggested prolonging the partial retirement scheme (in German) [1] for older employees run by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA [2]). BA’s programme referred to by the minister grants financial
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM [1]) surveys and compares national entrepreneurial activity. In 2008, 43 countries participated in the GEM. In Germany, some 4,751 persons were interviewed on their entrepreneurial activities, aspirations and attitudes. In addition, 62 expert interviews were
The family-owned Schaeffler Group [1] is an industrial conglomerate and one of the world’s leading car component manufacturers, which is based in Germany. The company’s bid for the much larger automotive industry supplier, Continental, was leveraged and Schaeffler is currently hard-pressed to
The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, BMFSFJ [1]) commissioned a study to evaluate the current situation of mothers re-entering the labour market. The study, Returning to work after starting a family (in
On 2 April 2009, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, BIBB [1]) released a new study (in German, 283Kb PDF) [2] on the costs and benefits of the German vocational training [3] system. From April to August 2008, 2,986 establishments with 10
Since the autumn of 2008, many companies and workers have been adversely affected by the global economic crisis. Following its first rescue package issued in the autumn of 2008, on 27 January 2009 the federal government adopted a second rescue package (in German) [1] that stipulates further
On 15 April 2009, the German Metalworkers’ Union (Industriegewerkschaft Metall, IG Metall [1]) and the Baden-Württemberg Employer Association for the Metal and Electrical Industry (Verband der Metall- und Elektorindustrie Baden-Württemberg, Südwestmetall [2]) concluded a new collective agreement (in
After lengthy debates in 2007, minimum wages were introduced in the postal services sector with effect from 1 January 2008 (*DE0711019I* [1]). The minimum wage in the postal sector was endorsed by the inclusion of mail delivery services in the Posted Workers Act (/Arbeitnehmer-Entsendegesetz/, AEntG
In recent years, the situation of school-leavers in Germany has changed considerably. Many young people now encounter difficulties in securing an apprenticeship – in other words, a vocational training position – or entering the labour market. This trend is reflected in the rising number of so-called