Press Release No. 32/2010 IG Metall Survey Shows: Economic Recovery Is Passing the Younger Generation By

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has warned that the economic recovery threatens to bypass the younger generation. Even after the crisis, employment arrangements such as internships, temporary agency work, and fixed-term jobs are increasingly shaping the living and working conditions of young workers. This is confirmed by a representative survey conducted in September 2010 on behalf of IG Metall. “During the economic recovery, young people are being left behind and marginalized in the workforce. The recovery is passing the younger generation by,” said Detlef Wetzel, vice president of IG Metall, on Monday in Frankfurt during the presentation of the survey results.

More than half (54 percent) of workers under the age of 25 are in precarious employment. This figure exceeds the numbers from the crisis year of 2009 by nine percentage points. Among workers under the age of 35, 30 percent are employed on a temporary basis. “The precariousness of the younger generation continues to rise even after the crisis, despite already being at a high level, and is becoming a defining structural experience,” the union leader criticized. This is particularly evident in the high proportion of fixed-term positions. More than a quarter (28 percent) of the young workers surveyed stated that they had only held fixed-term positions throughout their professional careers to date. One-fifth of workers under 35 work part-time, even though the majority would prefer a full-time position. The often-promised “stickiness effect”—where temporary work leads to permanent employment—remains an exception and has actually worsened compared to the previous year.

In light of the debate over the shortage of skilled workers and immigration, Wetzel criticized the fact that the potential of skilled workers is not being sufficiently tapped through training and continuing education. “Secondary schools are failing, companies are refusing to provide training and continuing education, and the Federal Employment Agency is merely managing young people instead of supporting them.” Policies that treat the opportunities for personal development and the prospects of the younger generation with such neglect jeopardize society’s future viability and lead to a second educational catastrophe, the union representative said. That is why IG Metall is making the living and working conditions of young employees a top priority at both the workplace and societal levels.

“It is the responsibility of politicians and business leaders to improve young people’s future prospects,” said Wetzel. The study’s results clearly showed that respondents expect, for example, policymakers to ensure a better work-life balance (89 percent), introduce minimum wages (82 percent), and limit temporary agency work (71 percent). “We at IG Metall will not only demand better future opportunities but will also continue to make use of our opportunities to shape policy at the workplace and through collective bargaining,” Wetzel emphasized.