Germany’s early and robust public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most effective in the world, and as a result they’ve also seen some of the lowest mortality rates in Europe. However, the containment measures led to a major drop in business and jobs in Germany, especially in the sectors that are contact-intensive. Although economic activity started to recover from late April after the reopening, the second wave during the Fall triggered another round of lockdowns. Economic growth is however expected to elevate in 2021 with the wide availability of vaccines.
If you are planning to work in Germany or moving there for higher studies, read this article to know about the job market in Germany post-pandemic.
Germany's current job market
The country made great use of its fiscal space to bring about some of the most advanced measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. Germany scaled up its medical expenditure, extended critical support to both businesses and households by expanding the short-time work benefit also known as Kurzabeit.
It also extended the duration of unemployment benefits, loan guarantees and liquidity to firms. In the months of Nov-Dec, Germany introduced further measures to support businesses that suffered the most during the lockdown. The pace of fiscal normalisation and job opportunities in Germany is expected to improve with the rise in business activities gradually.
Post COVID-19 Job Trends in Germany
1. Remote working on the rise
A recent Gartner study implied about 48% employees are likely to work remotely at least for some time after the Covid -19. Organisations are shifting to remote work operations and exploring the competences employees will need to work on in order to collaborate digitally. Organisations are also preparing to adjust their employee experience strategies, how to shift performance and goal setting for employee evaluation done remotely.
2. Employers Increased Employee Data Collection
The Gartner study also shows that over 16% of employers today use technologies more frequently than ever to monitor their employees -- virtual clocking in and out, tracking usage of computers, emails or internal communications. Some organisations track productivity while others monitor employee engagement as well as well-being as means to understand employee experience through remote working. Although many organisations used non-traditional monitoring tools before the pandemic, it has now accelerated for the collection of safety data and employee health.
3. Contingent worker expansion
The Gartner study reveals that organisations will continue expanding the number of contingent workers in order to maintain flexibility in the workforce after the break of the pandemic besides introducing job models that have been introduced during the pandemic, like 80% pay for 80% job. The research finds that about 32% organisations are swapping full-time employees with contingent workers for cost-saving. HR managers will be needed to evaluate how performance management will apply to these workers to determine their eligibility for earning the same benefits as their peers working full-time.
4. Social safety nets are crucial due to the COVID-19 response
The pandemic has also seen the expanded roles employers have taken for their employees’ physical, mental, and financial well-being by extending support in the form of financial assistance, adjusting work hours, child care provisions, enhancing sick leaves. Some organisations have even supported their teams by shifting operations by providing services that help to combat the pandemic, community relief funds, free community service and the likes.
The current crisis in the economy has also pushed the boundaries of how employers look at their employees’ experience at the workplace. Personal reasons have taken precedence over external factors into deciding the best measures for the employees and organisation alike. Such measures have been a very effective way for promoting the physical and emotional well-being of employees.
5. Separation of critical skills and roles
Before the pandemic, critical roles were seen as roles that require having critical skills, ones needed to make the organisation meet its strategic goals. But today employers realise that there is another category of such roles too- the ones needed for successful workflows which drive the company’s competitive advantage. Employers should be encouraging their employees to develop critical skills for career development rather than preparing for a fixed role.