Print version Recommend this page Press release
10/ 2007
Bonn, 22.02.2007
Working flexibly, using experience, learning long-term - Development of competence in temporary employment
Temporary employment is booming in Germany, the growth rates are enormous - largely because of increased pressure from competitors, companies are finding that they need more and more short-term workers. Between 1993 and 2006, the number of temp workers more than quadrupled, from about 121,000 to about 500,000. Between 35 and 40 percent of all gainfully employed persons are already in a "non-regular" employment relationship, a category that includes telecommuting, part-time work, short-term and marginal employment in addition to temporary employment. But what is the situation with regard to continuing education and training opportunities for temporary workers? For them in particular, the development of competencies plays a special role in preserving individual employability, since they generally commit themselves to frequent changes of workplace, working environment and vocational activity - and are thus confronted with ever new challenges and are increasingly pressed for time.
The present publication of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on the subject of "Development of Competence in Temporary Work - Potential and Limitations" tackles this field of research, one that has hitherto been neglected in research and practice. The collection summarises the results of a BIBB research project and provides food for thought as well as possible approaches to a solution. It makes it clear that there is gigantic potential in the promotion of the development of competence in temporary employment. For the labour and education markets as well, it is important to make better use in general of the competencies learned and acquired more or less "in passing" as part of the "process of work".
At present, temporary workers have little access to formal continuing education and training opportunities. According to a representative survey of temporary employment firms in Germany, their commitment to measures in support of in-company competence development is rather slight. Among the possible reasons for this are the short-term oriented "utilisation interests" of temporary employment firms or the companies using their services and the question whether it pays to invest in the continuing education and training of this group of people.
The temporary workers were also queried and made it clear in the survey that their own learning gain was greatest in the fields of administration and office work as well as in the metal and electric fields. On the other hand, they had the least learning gain in the restaurant trade and in cleaning.
Competencies in temporary employment are further developed in particular in the methodological and social fields Seventy-four per cent of the respondents see a major learning gain in being able to familiarise themselves with the new job rapidly, getting their bearings in changing situations (66%), learning something new and approaching other people more easily (56%). Workers with completed vocational education and training profit most from temporary work, those with lower (semi-skilled and unskilled, for example) or higher qualifications to a lesser extent.
The publication also documents the results of a BIBB symposium held at the end of 2005 and attended by representatives of politics, research and practice. Nor did one forget to look across national borders to our neighbours France and the Netherlands, where temporary employment is more widely disseminated quantitatively and more accepted socially.
The BIBB publication "Development of Competence in Temporary Work - Potential and Limitations" (editor: Gesa Münchhausen) consists of 276 pages and can be ordered from:
- W. Bertelsmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Postfach 10 06 33
33506 Bielefeld
Tel.: 0521 / 9 11 01 11
Fax: 0521 / 9 11 01 19
E-Mail: service@wbv.de
Internet: http://www.wbv.de/
ISBN-No.: 3-7639-1091-3
Order-No.: 110.482
Price: 24,90 euros
Questions regarding content will be answered at BIBB by:
- Dr. Gesa Münchhausen, phone: 0228 / 107-1326; e-mail: muenchhausen@bibb.de
