How temporary work is transforming the German job market

More than one third of all talent between the ages of 30 and 39 has worked in temporary employment - after all, the industry allows non-binding attempts at potential career paths. So how does this translate to recruiting Millennials?

"Atypical employment": More and more people in Germany have experience with temporary employment - in 2019 that number is already up to 27 percent. The recruitment sector, with numerous advantages for applicants and companies, is also gaining in importance as a work channel. The portfolio of human resources companies such as Orizon is therefore in greater demand than ever, especially among young people. These results emerge from the new labor market survey 2019. For the population-representative study, the independent market research institute Lünendonk surveyed a total of 2,012 people on behalf of Orizon. 

The temporary work industry is repeatedly confronted with prejudices and myths in public - from allegedly poor working conditions to alleged reservations on the part of the permanent workforce. However, the facts speak a completely different language. Whether it's steadily rising wages, positive integration into employment companies, or an overall appreciation for the advantages of this form of employment, one thing is clear: temporary employment is moving the German labor market.

The number of working people who have been in temporary employment has been increasing for years. It is 27 percent in 2019. Especially in the age group of millennials - i.e. those born from the early 1980s to the late 1990s - this form of employment enjoys great popularity. 28.6 percent of 20 to 29-year-olds and even 35 percent of 30 to 39-year-olds have already worked as temporary or temporary workers. Temporary work is a promising springboard into the job market, especially for young people, enabling low-risk trial and error of various career paths and promising business contacts. Other motivational factors often mentioned by respondents with temporary employment experience include: avoiding unemployment, to use temporary work as a springboard to a permanent position, or to find a way back into the job market. The latter applies, for example, to employees who have taken up nursing or nursing periods, or even to people who have been involuntarily unemployed for a long time.

Recruitment on the rise

In addition to temporary work, recruitment - also an offer from human resources companies such as Orizon - is on a steady growth path. The question of whether they have ever found a job through a direct recruitment service, answer in 2019, almost a quarter (22.1 percent) with "yes". This value has risen steadily in recent years. Also striking here is the age distribution: Millennials in particular have above-average experience with this form of job hunting. 30 percent of 20 to 29-year-olds and 29 percent of 30 to 39-year-olds answered in the affirmative. "For young people, direct recruitment plays an increasingly important role in job hunting," says Roman Hennig, CEO of Orizon. The advantages are obvious for him: "We support applicants with our cross-industry network and experienced HR consultants, who accompany them throughout the application process. So we help them to find the right place to develop their full potential."

Join us in Madrid, November 12-15 for the Global Online Marketplaces Summit.