The number of employees on temporary or fixed-term contracts has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years. This is based on figures from the Federal Statistical Office, which were published on Wednesday. Accordingly, the proportion of employees in atypical employment fell from 22.6 percent in 2007 to 20.1 percent last year. At the same time, the share of self-employed dropped from a good 11 to 9.3 percent.
By contrast, regular employment relationships are increasing. For the first time since 2002, more than 70 percent of 15- to 64-year-olds were employed in a "normal employment relationship". These include permanent jobs requiring social insurance contributions with at least 21 hours per week - temporary employment is excluded. Young people in training or voluntary service were not counted.
The peak of atypical employment, including mini-jobs, was reached in 2007. At that time, only 65.4 percent of employees were employed regularly.
The reason for this development is likely to be the long-term stable economy. At present, however, experts warn of a recession: For the period from September to the end of November, the Institute for Macroeconomics and Macroeconomic Research (IMK) early warning system is at risk of a shrinking economy of 59.4 percent - after 43 percent in August.
