Although works councils are a core element of the German system of industrial relations, there is little reliable information on their incidence and coverage. This paper uses data from the nationally representative IAB establishment panel to fill this gap. We examine the frequency of works...

Eine Auswertung repräsentativer Daten des IAB-Betriebspanels zeigt, dass im Jahr 2000 knapp die Hälfte der westdeutschen, aber nur gut ein Viertel der ostdeutschen Betriebe durch Flächen- oder Firmentarifverträge gebunden waren, wobei die Flächentarifbindung in den letzten Jahren...

Auswertungen repräsentativer Daten des IAB-Betriebspanels für Westdeutschland von 1993 bis 1998 zeigen, dass nur zwischen 20 und 30 Prozent aller Betriebe bezahlte Überstunden einsetzten. In diesen Betrieben fielen im Durchschnitt 1,6 bezahlte Überstunden pro abhängig Beschäftigten und...

In Germany, trade unions and employers associations play a role not only in wage determination but also in social affairs and labour law. While the majority of firms are organized in employers associations, less than one quarter of employees are members of a trade union. Both social partners...

Using a large linked employeremployee data set for Germany, we find that the existence of a works council is associated with a lower separation rate to employment, in particular for men and workers with low tenure. While works council monopoly effects show up in all specifications, clear voice...

Using representative linked employer-employee data of the German Federal Employment Agency, this paper shows that just one out of seven full-time employees who earned low wages (i.e. less than two-thirds of the median wage) in 1998/99 was able to earn wages above the low-wage threshold in 2003....

Using comprehensive data for West Germany, this paper investigates the determinants of establishment exit. We find that between 1975 and 2006 the average exit rate has risen considerably. In order to test various “liabilities” of establishment survival identified in the literature, we...

Using a large German linked employer-employee data set and methods of competing risks analysis, this paper investigates gender differences in job separation rates to employment and nonemployment. In line with descriptive evidence, we find lower job-to-job and higher job-to-nonemployment...

Using representative data from the German social survey ALLBUS 2002 and the European Social Survey 2002/03, this paper provides the first empirical analysis of trade union never-membership in Germany. We show that between 54 and 59 percent of all employees in Germany have never been members of a...

Using data from the social survey ALLBUS for West Germany in the period 1980 to 2006, this paper demonstrates that union members are on average older than non-unionized employees. The probability of being unionized shows the inverted U-shaped pattern in age conjectured by Blanchflower (BJIR...