Die personalpolitische Funktion befristeter Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst

The public sector has long been regarded as a model employer. However, when one looks at the rate of fixed-term employment contracts, a continual erosion of this erstwhile role model status becomes apparent. Proportionally, public-sector employers hire new employees on fixed-term contracts much more frequently, and are less likely to transfer them to permanent contracts, than private sector employers. Against this backdrop, this article sheds light on public-sector employers’ practices and motives with regard to using fixed-term contracts. It then makes a comparison with the situation in the private sector. Based on data from the IAB Establishment Panel as well as from qualitative expert interviews with human resources managers and members of personnel boards in selected public sector organisations, it becomes clear that the public sector’s aforementioned discrepancy in relation to the private sector is mainly due to the specific operational function which fixed-term employment contracts offer. Here, using fixed-term contracts is the core instrument for creating flexibility; whereas in the private sector, additional instruments are available to manage headcount.