This paper investigates the reasons for the exceptionally robust performance of the German labour market during the Great Recession. While GDP dropped by more than five per cent in 2009, employment remained constant and started to increase soon after. We compare this recession to other major...

The existence of working-time accounts played an important role in overcoming the negative effects of the Great Recession in Germany. The authors’ analysis of data on establishments with a works council and at least 20 employees from the WSI Works Council Survey shows that the presence...