earticle

영어

Germany, which experienced high unemployment rate amounting to 13% and low economic growth brought about enormous unification cost, labor market rigidity, overseas transfer of large enterprises and ageing, established labor market flexibility driven by labor market reforms during the last decade and achieved high employment rate and low unemployment rate compared with OECD developed countries. Particularly the increase of unemployment in Germany during between 2008 and 2009 was just 0.2 percentage point compared with and OECD average of 2.2 percentage points. This result was even more surprising considering that German economy suffered an above average decline in real GDP amounting to -5.1% compared with an OECD average of -3.8% in 2009. Also Germany, which maintained national competition power based on comparatively low unit labor cost and achieved good economic performance in foreign sector, stands out leading country in EU in the midst of global economic crisis. But there always exists bright and dark sides in all affairs. Non-regular workers employed in the shape of part-time, mini-jobs, agency work, fixed-term contracts work characterized by low wage, low employability and low employment insecurity rapidly increased since German labor reforms during the last decade. Particularly low wage structure was stylized in the area of mini-jobs employment and agency work employment, which turned out to deteriorated German income distribution structure. Also it is reported that the increase of agency worker often brought out labour disputes and threatened industrial relations. While female and aged worker contributed the total employment increase in Germany, female labor participation compares unfavourably with other OECD countries for married woman and mothers. And discrimination against older worker is significant and has increased in Germany over the last decade. In order to increase the employability of married women and mothers and older workers, it is necessary to enhance childcare supply, training and revise the tax system, free health insurance, seniority wage system. After all, German labor market reforms during the last decade contributed the restoration of German economy but at the same time brought about labor market bipolarization. Therefore German labor market reforms is left unfinished until now and required various institutional improvement.

한국어

독일은 2000년대에 걸쳐 수행한 노동시장개혁조치들을 통해 노동시장의 유연화추세를 정착시키면서 고용률 의 급격한 개선과 함께 여타 OECD 선진국가들에 비해 현저히 낮은 실업률을 기록하였다. 또한 상대적으로 낮 은 수준의 단위노동비용을 바탕으로 국제경쟁력을 확보하여 대외부문에서도 양호한 경제성과를 이루어내는 등 글로벌 경제위기의 와중에서도 유럽연합의 주도국가로 자리매김하고 있다. 그러나 독일의 노동시장개혁이 독일경제에 긍정적인 효과만을 가져다 준 것은 아니다. 즉 노동시장개혁 이후 노동시장의 유연화가 강화되어 가면서 저임금과 낮은 고용가능성으로 특징지어지는 비정규직 근로자인 시간 제근로나 미니잡으로 일하는 여성근로자 및 고령근로자, 기간제 근로자(fixed-term contracts worker), 파견근 로자(agency worker)의 비중이 증가하면서 고용구조가 급속히 변화하고 있는데, 이는 생산성과 장기근로의 가능성을 제약하는 근로자교육훈련과 소득불평등에 부정적인 영향을 주는 이중노동시장(dual labor market) 을 발전시키고, 나아가 노사관계를 악화시킬 위험을 내포하고 있다. 즉 독일의 노동시장개혁은 독일경제의 회생에 기여하였으나, 노동시장의 양극화 심화라는 어두운 그림자도 가져다주고 있는 것으로 보인다. 이러한 점에서 독일의 노동시장개혁은 아직은 미완의 상태라 할 수 있으며, 여러 가지 제도적 보완이 필요한 것으로 보인다.