The economy and the labour market are subject to constant change. This change is influenced not only by long-term developments such as demographic shifts or globalisation but also by digital transformation, the effects of climate change, and unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IAB analyses and forecasts the extent to which these factors influence labour market transformation by looking at their effects on employment and unemployment, as well as on the demand for skilled workers, wages, further training, working conditions, and labour supply. The occupational level forms a particular focus of analysis since structural transformation in the labour market is reflected, above all, in changes in occupational requirements, skills, and activities. Furthermore, the IAB analyses how technological change affects different regions.
Read moreJune 26, 2026 | Structural Change and the Labour Market
Between 2017 and 2024, employment growth in Germany was mainly driven by a rising population and increasing employment rates. Gains were concentrated among migrants, women and older workers, while ...read more
Read moreMay 4, 2026 | Interviews
The rapid spread of AI in the workplace is creating a new divide: the gender AI gap. A recent study by the IAB conducted in collaboration with Initiative D21 shows that women use AI considerably less ...read more
Read moreApril 27, 2026 | Labour Market, Employment and Social Policy
Martin Friedrich, Ines Helm, Ramona Jost, Julia Lang, Christoph Müller
App-based delivery services have spread rapidly in Germany in recent years. This has also fuelled public debate about the poor working conditions of the gig-workers in these services. However, there ...read more
Read moreApril 24, 2026 | Establishments and the Demand for Personnel
6 percent of German establishments report that they are predominantly negatively affected by the impact of the changes to US trade policy since the beginning of 2025. These establishments employ 11 ...read more
Read moreAugust 29, 2025 | Structural Change and the Labour Market
While men and women are increasingly found in the same occupations, a surprising trend has emerged: Sectors are becoming more gender-segregated over time. Are these patterns shaped by discriminatory ...read more
Read moreApril 22, 2025 | Structural Change and the Labour Market
Simon Janssen, Michael Stops, Sanne Steens, Pelin Özgül, Nicholas Rounding, Sander Dijksman, Raymond Montizaan, Mark Levels, Didier Fourage, Danique Eijkenboom, Evie Graus, Marie-Christine Fregin
How does the use of artificial intelligence in training affect employee productivity? These and other questions were investigated as part of the long-term research project "ai:conomics" using company ...read more
Read moreDavid Autor, Professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), gives a Special Lecture at the IAB on 15 January 2025. In this accompanying interview, he discusses the impact ...read more
Read moreJuly 9, 2024 | Forms of Employment
Martin Friedrich, Ines Helm, Ramona Jost, Julia Lang, Christoph Müller
Drivers working for app-based delivery services have become an integral part of the urban landscape in Germany. At the same time, working conditions in the so-called platform economy are keenly ...read more
Read moreJune 14, 2024 | Interviews
Professor Giovanni Peri, a renowned economist from the University of California, will give a Special Lecture at the IAB on 20 June 2024. He will share his research on the rise of new work in the US, ...read more