Labour and Social Welfare Measures to Combat the Economic Crisis in Germany

Abstract

Although Germany, and especially the labour market, were particularly affected by the global financial and economic crisis, it already started to recover, contrary to most other countries, in 2009. Meanwhile, it now has a lower unemployment rate than before the crisis. To explain this initially surprising outcome, the authors will first of all provide an overview of the course of the crisis in Germany and the subsequent development. Following this, there will be a detailed analysis of the most important governmental and entrepreneurial measures that are intended to cushion against the economic crisis, especially the utilisation of short-time work, the expansion of job placement and the flexibilisation of working times. Finally, there will be an examination of the question of which of these measures are responsible for the positive development and which optimisations can be proposed for the future.