In Germany, imposition of benefit cuts for non-compliant welfare recipients depends on the policy of the local welfare agencies resulting in considerable regional variation, expressed in milder and stricter sanction regimes. Findings from international studies show, that benefit sanctions can...

The labour force participation of older workers in Germany is low compared with other countries. A decisive factor in this respect is not least the employment decisions made by companies. This paper shows which company characteristics lead to a higher or a lower employment share of older...

The impact of atypical employment on the ability of the labour market to function depends on how it is used. In this paper we first define three motives for the use of atypical employment: adjustment to fluctuations in business activity, improvement of personnel selection by extending...

In the past few years numerous studies have dealt with the employment effects of Germany's dismissal protection legislation. The majority of the studies, however, found no significant effects on aggregate exit and entry rates in the firms affected. In our analysis we estimate the effect of...

This paper presents recent empirical evidence on the extent and determinants of employment dynamics and job mobility, building on economic theory and German labor market institutions. In particular, it identifies dynamic and immobile segments of the labor market. Conclusions are drawn with...

The introduction of the minimum wage in the German painter and varnisher trade in 2003 is used as a natural experiment to study the effects of minimum wages on wages and employment. We find a significant positive effect on the average hourly wage of skilled workers in East Germany, but not in...

Population aging in many developed countries has motivated some governments to provide wage subsidies to employers for hiring or retaining older workers. The subsidies are intended to compensate for the gap between the pay and productivity of older workers, which may discourage their hiring. A...

Dieses Papier beschreibt Ergebnisse einer Evaluation von Eingliederungszuschüssen (EGZ) und Entgeltsicherung für ältere Arbeitnehmer. Es wird untersucht, ob förderberechtigte Personen im Vergleich zur Situation ohne diese Instrumente früher aus Arbeitslosigkeit in Beschäftigung wechseln....

In spite of extensive regulations, Germany's job offices and their caseworkers have substantial discretion in implementing labor market policies. Based on the analysis of combined survey and administrative data, this study compares the effectiveness of different strategies aimed at...