Young people and temporary employment in Europe

A new report on young people and temporary employment in Germany, shows that 46.4% of all dependent employees holding a fixed-term contract were aged 15 to 24 years (using micro-census data from 2011). As the data also indicates, nearly two thirds of these youngsters were still engaged in an apprenticeship or a similar training. Being employed on a fixed-term contract as an apprentice is part of the German system of vocational education and training. Complementing higher education, VET remains a cornerstone in training youngsters for the labour market and teaching them an occupation. It is one of the main reasons for fixed-term employment amongst youngsters and also contributes to a low youth unemployment rate. The study was undertaken on behalf of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions.