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Measuring hours worked in Germany – Contents, data and methodological essentials of the IAB working time measurement concept
[Die Berechnung der geleisteten Arbeitsstunden in Deutschland – Inhalte, Daten und methodische Grundlagen der IAB Arbeitszeitrechnung]

Author

Listed:
  • Susanne Wanger

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB))

  • Roland Weigand

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB))

  • Ines Zapf

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB))

Abstract

This article presents the Working Time Measurement Concept of the Institute for Employment Research, which determines the hours worked in Germany and their individual components. The Working Time Measurement Concept is the key data product on working time in Germany and underlies the German national accounts figure on labour input. These statistics on hours worked are essential for a proper analysis of aggregate labour market trends and cyclical fluctuations. In the Working Time Measurement Concept, changes in working hours due to collective agreements and economic fluctuations are brought together with shifts in employment structure, thus producing a differentiated picture of the scope, structure and development of the annual working time of gainfully employed persons. We outline the conceptual and methodological framework of the measurement, which continually evolves due to its integration in the system of national accounts and due to innovations to the statistical procedures applied. An overview of single components and their data sources is given, while the resulting time series of hours worked and the volume of work are depicted according to their long run trends, cyclical variation and reaction in the 2008/09 financial and economic crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Wanger & Roland Weigand & Ines Zapf, 2016. "Measuring hours worked in Germany – Contents, data and methodological essentials of the IAB working time measurement concept [Die Berechnung der geleisteten Arbeitsstunden in Deutschland – Inhalte,," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 49(3), pages 213-238, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jlabrs:v:49:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s12651-016-0206-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s12651-016-0206-0
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    2. Johann Fuchs & Enzo Weber, 2017. "Long-term unemployment and labour force participation: a decomposition of unemployment to test for the discouragement and added worker hypotheses," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(60), pages 5971-5982, December.
    3. Fuchs, Johann & Gehrke, Britta & Hummel, Markus & Hutter, Christian & Klinger, Sabine & Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo & Zika, Gerd, 2018. "IAB-Prognose für 2018/2019: Aufschwung bleibt, verliert aber an Tempo," IAB-Kurzbericht 201821, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    4. Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo, 2016. "Erwerbspotenziale von Arbeitslosen und Erwerbstätigen: Das Stundenvolumen bringt zusätzliche Information (Employment potential of the labour force : Additional information from hours)," IAB-Kurzbericht 201608, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    5. Fuchs, Johann & Gehrke, Britta & Hummel, Markus & Hutter, Christian & Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo & Weigand, Roland & Zika, Gerd, 2016. "IAB-Prognose 2016/2017: Arbeitslosigkeit sinkt weiter," IAB-Kurzbericht 201620, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    6. Christoph, Bernhard, 2015. "Empirische Maße zur Erfassung von Armut und materiellen Lebensbedingungen : Ansätze und Konzepte im Überblick," IAB-Discussion Paper 201525, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    7. Klinger, Sabine & Weber, Enzo, 2016. "Detecting unemployment hysteresis: A simultaneous unobserved components model with Markov switching," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 115-118.
    8. Zapf, Ines, 2015. "Who profits from working-time accounts? : empirical evidence on the determinants of working-time accounts on the employers' and employees' side," IAB-Discussion Paper 201523, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    9. Fuchs, Johann & Hummel, Markus & Hutter, Christian & Klinger, Sabine & Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo & Zika, Gerd, 2018. "IAB-Prognose für Wirtschaft und Arbeitsmarkt 2018: Aufschwung auf dem Höhepunkt," IAB-Kurzbericht 201807, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    10. Fuchs, Johann & Gehrke, Britta & Hummel, Markus & Hutter, Christian & Klinger, Sabine & Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo & Zika, Gerd, 2019. "IAB-Prognose 2019: Trotz Konjunkturflaute: Arbeitsmarkt hält Kurs," IAB-Kurzbericht 201907, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    11. Fuchs, Johann & Hummel, Markus & Hutter, Christian & Klinger, Sabine & Wanger, Susanne & Weber, Enzo & Zika, Gerd, 2017. "IAB-Prognose 2017: Der Arbeitsmarkt stellt neue Rekorde auf (IAB forecast 2017: The labour market sets new records)," IAB-Kurzbericht 201709, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    12. Eckman, Stephanie & Kreuter, Frauke, 2015. "Misreporting to looping questions in surveys : recall, motivation and burden," IAB-Discussion Paper 201529, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    13. Dietrich, Hans, 2015. "Jugendarbeitslosigkeit aus einer europäischen Perspektive : theoretische Ansätze, empirische Konzepte und ausgewählte Befunde," IAB-Discussion Paper 201524, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    14. Weigand Roland & Wanger Susanne & Zapf Ines, 2018. "Factor Structural Time Series Models for Official Statistics with an Application to Hours Worked in Germany," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 34(1), pages 265-301, March.
    15. Philipp Berge & Matthias Umkehrer & Susanne Wanger, 2023. "A correction procedure for the working hours variable in the IAB employee history," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 57(1), pages 1-16, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    IAB working time measurement concept; Hours worked; Volume of work; Components; Persons in employment; System of national accounts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C82 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Macroeconomic Data; Data Access
    • E01 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth; Environmental Accounts
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor

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