Skrócony czas pracy jako element polityki rynku pracy w Niemczech
Short-time work as an element of labour market policy in Germany

Summary/Abstract: Short-time work schemes are government initiatives that allow businesses experiencing financial difficulties to temporarily reduce the hours worked while providing their employees with income benefits from the state for the hours not worked. This enables management to swiftly adjust labour inputs and costs to shifting business conditions. The aim of the study is to analyze significant changes in the structure of short-time work programmes in Germany within the framework of the evolution of labour market policy, the function of short-time work schemes during the crisis, and to discuss potential impacts in light of prior empirical findings. In the study, focus was given on the functions of this instrument and changes in regulations in the 1970s and 1980s, after the reunification of Germany, during the financial crisis in 2008/2009 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Achieving the set goals and solving the research problem required the use of descriptive and analytical methods. The hypothesis that short-time work is an effective tool of labour market policy in Germany was favourably validated in the study. Short-time work schemes helped stabilize employment and prevent the loss of many jobs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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