COVID-19 DÖNEMİNDE BİR İŞTE TUTMA POLİTİKASI OLARAK UYGULANAN KISA SÜRELİ ÇALIŞMA SİSTEMİ: ALMANYA (KURZARBEIT SİSTEM) DENEYİMİ

En çok belirsizlik özelliği ile ön plana çıkan COVID-19 pandemisinin en önemli sonuçlarından birini şüphesiz artan işsizlik oranları oluşturmuştur. Bu durum esnek istihdam politikalarının önem kazanmasına yol açmıştır. Zorlayıcı sebebe bağlı olarak şekillenen ve kısa süreli çalışma programları ile ön plana çıkan bu politikalar, pandemi döneminde en fazla tercih edilen ve çoğunlukla Avrupa’da uygulanan politikalar olma özelliği ile ön plana çıkmıştır. Avrupa modeli olarak da adlandırılan bu politikalar bütününün en başarılı örneklerinden birini, 2008 krizinin etkilerini başarıyla absorbe eden ve işsizlik oranlarını kontrol altında tutmada önemli rol oynayan kurzarbeit sistemi oluşturmaktadır. Alman kısa süreli çalışma modeli olarak da tanımlanabilen bu sistem sonrasında, tüm dünyada popüler bir hal almış ve tanınmıştır. Buna göre yapılan çalışmanın amacını pandemi döneminde önemli bir işte tutma politikası olarak uygulanan kurzarbeit sistemin; 2008-09 küresel mali kriz döneminde gösterdiği başarılı tecrübesi ile COVID-19 dönemindeki performansının kıyaslanması ve pandemi sonrası toparlanma politikalarında üstlenebileceği misyonların sorgulanması oluşturulmaktadır. Yapılan çalışma nitel araştırma yöntemi kapsamında örnek olay çerçevesinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sonuç olarak geniş kapsamlı ve önemli oranda devlet desteği ile şekillenen kurzarbeit sistemi, küresel kriz döneminde olduğu gibi COVID-19 döneminde de Almanya’da işsizlik oranlarını kontrol altında tutmada büyük rol oynamış ve başarılı bir sınav vermiştir. Ayrıca pandemi sürecinde genişletilerek uygulanan sistem, pandemi sonrası toparlanma politikaları için de önemli argümanlar sunmaktadır.

SHORT-TIME WORK SYSTEM APPLIED AS A JOB RETENTION POLICY IN DURING COVID-19: GERMANY EXPERIENCE (KURZARBEIT SYSTEM)

Undoubtedly, one of the most important results of the COVID-19 pandemic, which stands out with its uncertainty feature, is the increasing unemployment rates. This situation has led to the importance of flexible employment policies. These policies, which were shaped due to compelling reasons and came to the forefront with short-term work programs, came to the forefront as the most preferred and mostly implemented in Europe during the pandemic period. One of the most successful examples of these policies, also called the European model, is the kurzarbeit system, which successfully absorbed the effects of the 2008 crisis and played an important role in keeping unemployment rates under control. This system, which can also be defined as the German short-term working model, became popular and famous all over the world. Accordingly, the aims of the study are as follows: The kurzarbeit system, which was implemented as an important job retention policy during the pandemic period; Comparison of its successful experience during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and its performance in the period of COVID-19. And questioning the missions it can undertake in post-pandemic recovery policies. The research was carried out within the framework of case study within the scope of qualitative research method. As a result, the kurzarbeit system, which was shaped by extensive and significant government support, played a major role in keeping unemployment rates under control in Germany during the COVID-19 period as well as during the global crisis. and passed the exam successfully. In addition, the system, which has been expanded and applied during the pandemic process, offers important arguments for post-pandemic recovery policies.

___

  • Ateş, S. (2021). Impact of Short Time Work on the Labour Life: Turkey's Case During COVID-19 Pandemic and Lessons to be Drawn From German Experience. A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East Technical University. Ankara: https://open.metu.edu.tr/bitstream/handle/11511/94262/10400842-MS-Sevgi%20Ate%C5%9F.pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 12.12.2021).
  • Bergthaller, M. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis on Formal Sector Workers: (Potential) Social Protection and Employment Responses. https://socialprotection.org/discover/blog/impacts-covid-19-crisis-formal-sector-workers-potential-social-protection-and. (Erişim Tarihi: 12.11.2021).
  • BMAS. (2020). Hubertus Heil: "We Want All People in the EU to be able to Live Their Lives with Security and Dignity". https://www.bmas.de/EN/Services/Press/recent-publications/2020/federal-minister-heil-security-dignity-for-all-eu.html. (Erişim Tarihi: 05.12.2021).
  • Brenke, K., Rinne, U., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2011). Short-Time Work: The German Answer to the Great Recession. Bonn: The Instute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Discussion Paper: 5780.
  • Carter, A. (2020). Kurzarbeit: What Workers in Germany Need to Know. https://www.iamexpat.de/career/employment-news/kurzarbeit-what-workers-germany-need-know. (Erişim Tarihi: 01.02.2022).
  • Chazan, G., & Milne, R. (2020). Kurzarbeit: A German Export Most of Europe Wants to Buy. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/06/11/na061120-kurzarbeit-germanys-short-time-work-benefit. (Erişim Tarihi: 05.12.2021).
  • Cooper, R., Meyer, M., & Schoot, I. (2017). The Employment and Output Effects of Short-Time Work in Germany. nber.org/papers/w23688. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • Dao, M. C., & Mineshima, A. (2021). Germany's Post-COVID-19 Recovery in Five Charts. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2021/01/15/na011921-germanys-post-covid19-recovery-in-five-charts. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • DESTATIS. (2021, Ocak 2). Economic Impacts: Statistic Related to COVID-19: https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Cross-Section/Corona/Economy/context-economy.html#gdp. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • Drahokoupil, J., & Müller, T. (2021). Job Retention Schemes in Europe: A Lifeline During the COVID-19 pandemic. Brussels: ETUI (European Trade Union Instutite).
  • DW. (2020). Coronavirus Leads to Record Drop in German GDP. https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-leads-to-record-drop-in-german-gdp/a-54374430. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.11.2021).
  • Effenberger, A., Koelle, M., & Barker, A. (2020). Germany's Short-Time Work Scheme: Can Its Post Succes be Replicated? https://oecdecoscope.blog/2020/06/24/germanys-short-time-work-scheme-can-its-past-success-be-replicated/. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • Eichhorst, W., & Rinne, U. (2021). Crisis Response Monitoring: Germany Country Report December-2020. Bonn: IZA Publications.
  • Eliana, C., Farole, T., Gentilini, U., Morgandi, M., Packard, T., Santos, I., & Weber, M. (2020). Managing the Employment Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis: Policy Options for Relief and Restructing. Washington DC: The Worldbank.
  • Eurofound. (2010). Germany: Short-Time Working Allowance . http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.431.946&rep=rep1&type=pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.09.2021).
  • EUROSTAT. (2021). Unemployment Statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/data/database. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • Evans, G. (2010). Kurzarbeit; "Living-Death Capitalism" on the Future of the Left. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Kurzarbeit%2C+%22living-dead+capitalism%2C%22+and+the+future+of+the+left-a0287868529. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.03.2022).
  • Ford, S. (2020). Is It True That the Second Wave of COVID-19 is Coming to the US Soon and It Would Be Much Deadlier the Current One? How Can They Predict the Second Wave Coming? https://www.quora.com/profile/Stephen-Ford-67. (Erişim Tarihi: 05.02.2022).
  • French-property.com. (2020). COVID-19 in France-Job Retention Scheme. https://www.french-property.com/news/french_business/covid_19_employees_wage_support . (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • Gartner, H., & Merkl, C. (2011). The Roots of German Miracle. https://voxeu.org/article/roots-german-miracle. (Erişim Tarihi: 02.03.2022).
  • Hanushek, E. A., Woessmann, L., & Zhang, L. (2011). General Education, Vocational Education and Labor Market Outcomes Over the Life-Cycle. Cambridge: NBER Publications.
  • ILO. (2011). Studies on Growth with Equity: A Job Centered Approach (Germany). Geneva: ILO Publications.
  • ILO. (2020). A Policy Framework for Tackling the Economic and Social Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis: Policy Brief. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_745337.pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 10.01.2022).
  • ILO. (2021). ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the World of Work. Seventh Edition Updated Estimates and Analysis. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_767028.pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 02.02.2022).
  • IMF. (2020). World Economic Reports. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • IMF. (2020b). Kurzarbeit: Germany's Short-Time Work Benefit. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/06/11/na061120-kurzarbeit-germanys-short-time-work-benefit. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.11.2021).
  • ISSA. (2010). Crisis Country Case Study: Germany. Geneva: International Social Security Association (ISSA) .
  • ISSA. (2020). Meeting the Employment Challenges of the Second Wave of COVID-19: The Case of Europe. https://ww1.issa.int/analysis/meeting-employment-challenges-second-wave-covid-19-case-europe. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.11.2021).
  • Keenan, E., & Lydon, R. (2020). Wage Subsidies and Job Retention. Dublin: Central Bank of Ireland. L&E Global. (2021). Employment Law Overview: Germany 2021-2022. www.leglobal.org.
  • Look, C., Pickert, R., & Pogkas, D. (2021). Europe's Giant Job saving Experiment Pays Off in Pandemic. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2021-furlough-jobs-unemployment-europe-united-states/.(Erişim Tarihi: 20.11.2021).
  • Mavers, G., & Kamann, J. (2021). Germany: Employment, Labour Laws and Regulation . https://iclg.com/practice-areas/employment-and-labour-laws-and-regulations/germany . (Erişim Tarihi: 20.09.2021).
  • MERCER. (2021). The New Shape of Work is Flexibility for All. https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/the-new-shape-of-work-is-flexibility-for-all-global.html. (Erişim Tarihi: 02.01.2022).
  • Mosley, H. (2020). European Network of Public Employment Service: Short-Time Work Schemes in the EU. file:///C:/Users/test/Downloads/Study%20report%20-%20Short-time%20work%20schemes%20in%20the%20EU%20(1).pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • Müller, T. (2021). Job Retention Schemes in Europe: Germany. ETUI Working Papers. https://etui.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/Job%20retention%20schemes%20in%20Europe%20-%20Germany_2021.pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • OECD. (2020). Job Retention Schemes During the COVID-19 Lockdown and Beyond. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=135_135415-6bardplc5q&title=Job-retention-schemes-during-the-COVID-19-lockdown-and-beyond. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • OECD. (2021a). Germany Economic Snapshot. https://www.oecd.org/economy/germany-economic-snapshot/.(Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • OECD. (2021b). Economic Recovery Policy Reforms 2021 Going for Growth: Shaping a Vibrant Recovery. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/economic-policy-reforms-2021_3c796721-en. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • OECD. (2021b). Scaling up Policies That Connect People with Jobs in the Recovery from COVID-19. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/scaling-up-policies-that-connect-people-with-jobs-in-the-recovery-from-covid-19_a91d2087-en . (Erişim Tarihi: 15.01.2022).
  • Pandey, A. (2020). German Short-Time Work Cushions Unemployment Rate. https://www.dw.com/en/german-short-time-work-cushions-unemployment-rate/a-54009453. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.02.2022).
  • Pusch, T., & Braeckeler-Kogel, V. (2021). Employment law Overview: Germany 2021-2022. Brussels: L&G GLOBAL.
  • Sander, C., & Wasseram, D. (2020). The German Parliament Passes an Act for a Limited Improvement of the Regulations for Short-Time Work in a Crisis.
  • Silva, J., Liliana D. Sousa, T. G., & Robertson, R. (2021). Employment in Crisis: The Path to Better Jobs in a Post-COVID-19 Latin America. Washington DC: The Worldbank.
  • Statista. (2021). Number of Short-Time Workers in Germany Annually from 1991 to 2021 and Montly from January 2020 to September 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221113/short-time-worker-numbers-germany/.(Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • The Economist. (2008). Talent Wars: The Struggle for Tomorrow's Workforce. http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/sap_talent.pdf. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.11.2021).
  • UNDP. (2020). COVID-19: Germany Doubles Its Support to UNDP's Flexible Core Funding. https://www.undp.org. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.11.2021).
  • UNECE. (2021). Joint Efforts for the Circular Economy Will Drive a Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery and Boost Climate Action UNECE. https://unece.org/circular-economy/news/joint-efforts-circular-economy-will-drive-sustainable-covid-19-recovery-and. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • Unsworth, S., Andres, P., Cecchinato, G., Mealy, P., Taylor, C., & Valero, A. (2020). Jobs for a Strong and Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19. London: The Centre for Economic Performance.
  • Walker, R., & Kellard, K. (2001). Staying in Work: Policy Overview. Centre for Research in Social Policy Loughborough University Research Report: 265, Department for Education and Employment.
  • Weisbach, A. (2020). Germany is using a familiar Weapon to Prevent Massive Layoffs . https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/kurzarbeit-germany-is-using-a-familiar-weapon-to-prevent-layoffs.html. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).
  • worldometer. (2022). Coronavirus Cases: Germany. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/germany/. (Erişim Tarihi: 20.01.2022).