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Labour Market Participation and Atypical Employment over the Life Cycle: A Cohort Analysis for Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Bachmann, Ronald

    (RWI)

  • Felder, Rahel

    (Ruhr University Bochum)

  • Tamm, Marcus

    (Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (HdBA))

Abstract

We use data from the adult cohort of the National Education Panel Study to analyse the changes in the employment histories of cohorts born after World War II and the role of atypical employment in this context. Younger cohorts are characterised by acquiring more education, by entering into employment at a higher age, and by experiencing atypical employment more often. The latter is associated with much higher employment of women for younger cohorts. A sequence analysis of employment trajectories illustrates the opportunities and risks of atypical employment: The proportion of individuals whose entry into the labour market is almost exclusively characterised by atypical employment rises significantly across the cohorts. Moreover, a substantial part of the increase in atypical employment is due to the increased participation of women, with part-time jobs or mini-jobs playing an important role in re-entering the labour market after career breaks.

Suggested Citation

  • Bachmann, Ronald & Felder, Rahel & Tamm, Marcus, 2018. "Labour Market Participation and Atypical Employment over the Life Cycle: A Cohort Analysis for Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 12010, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Seckler, Matthias, 2019. "Increasing inequality in lifetime earnings: A tale of educational upgrading and changing employment patterns," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 119, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    2. Matthias Seckler, 2022. "Increasing Inequality in Long‐Term Earnings: A Tale of Educational Upgrading and Changing Employment Patterns," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(3), pages 617-652, September.
    3. Bachmann, Ronald & Stepanyan, Gayane, 2020. "It's a Woman's World? Occupational Structure and the Rise of Female Employment in Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224626, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions

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