Fluktuationsneigung in den neunziger Jahren : eine empirische Analyse anhand des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels

Abstract

In times of recession, topics such as the reduction of staff and labour costs seem to dominate and other problems such as labour turnover are given less attention even though labour markets can be dynamic despite mass unemployment. By using data which is representative of employees in Germany, we come to the conclusion that labour turnover - even at its lower rate - remains the predominant reason changing a job and that the experiences of those who changed their jobs remain positive. Equally, the intention to change the job (considering all employees in total) is hardly affected by economic development. The way in which the employee perceives his individual position in respect to the labour market influences the propensity to change, whereas an increase in uncertainty in respect of the present job reinforces the propensity. This individual perception of the position on the labour market is more important than job satisfaction. As a result of the documented relevance of labour turnover and the propensity to change we argue that there is a need for management to act even (and especially) in difficult economic periods.