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The East German Labour Market after German Unification: A Study of Structural Change and Occupational Matching

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  • Heike Solga

    (Max Planck Institute)

  • Martin Diewald

    (Gerhard-Mercator-University)

Abstract

This article investigates the restructuring process of the East German employment system after German unification. It raises the question of whether and how job mobility has contributed to coping with rapid change in the occupational structure. In particular, it explores the importance of occupational credentials in these mobility processes in East Germany. The empirical analysis is based on retrospective life histories of East German men and women belonging to three birth cohorts (1939-41, 1951-3 and 1959-61). The main result is that vocational certificates have driven occupational matching in East Germany after 1989. Thus, change in the employment structure was achieved by `credentialised' exclusion and inclusion processes and, moreover, the efficacy of occupational credentials even increased after 1989. Beyond the East German case, the paper provides interesting insights in the social value of occupational credentials and the relationship between labour market regulation and social change.

Suggested Citation

  • Heike Solga & Martin Diewald, 2001. "The East German Labour Market after German Unification: A Study of Structural Change and Occupational Matching," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 15(1), pages 95-126, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:15:y:2001:i:1:p:95-126
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170122118797
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Allmendinger, Jutta, 1989. "Career mobility dynamics: a comparative analysis of the United States, Norway, and West Germany," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, volume 49, number 122874, September.
    2. Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1975. "The Theory of "Screening," Education, and the Distribution of Income," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 65(3), pages 283-300, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Tomasik & Rainer Silbereisen, 2009. "Demands of Social Change as a Function of the Political Context, Institutional Filters, and Psychosocial Resources," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(1), pages 13-28, October.
    2. Brussig, Martin & Erlinghagen, Marcel, 2004. "Entlassungen und Kündigungen in den Neuen Bundesländern: Austrittsmobilität auf dem ostdeutschen Arbeitsmarkt in den 1990er Jahren," Graue Reihe des Instituts Arbeit und Technik 2004-01, Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT), Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences.
    3. Heike Trappe & Annemette Sørensen, 2006. "Economic Relations Between Women And Their Partners: An East And West German Comparison After Reunification," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(4), pages 643-665.

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