Survey: Fixed-term contracts are on the rise—and so is uncertainty in companies

German companies plan to significantly expand the use of fixed-term contracts for their employees. According to a Randstad study, 26 percent of the companies surveyed plan to make greater use of fixed-term contracts in the future; a year ago, that figure was only 12 percent. Permanent employment—something many temporary workers long for—is thus becoming less common. As a result, they often worry that their contracts will simply expire without being renewed.
Fixed-term contracts without objective justification are currently permitted only for a period of 2 years—but the black-red coalition in Berlin wants to extend this to 4 years, thereby giving employers even greater flexibility. Work-time accounts—whether in the negative or positive, overtime, and outsourcing—are once again becoming more common options in companies; in general, mounting economic pressure is dominating the day-to-day work environment in many places…