Summer vacation sees persistent teacher unemployment rates remaining elevated
In a surprising turn of events, wealthier German states are still relying on fixed-term contracts for teacher employment, despite the growing teacher shortage and its impact on education quality.
The Federal Employment Agency (BA) provided data on teacher unemployment during the summer holidays, which was reported by the Handelsblatt (Friday edition). According to the report, approximately 5,800 teachers with fixed-term contracts have registered as unemployed during this year's summer holidays.
The practice of hiring teachers on fixed-term contracts has been a subject of concern for Marlis Tepe, the chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW). Tepe has expressed her belief that this practice is indecent towards teachers and an injustice to employees paying social security contributions. However, the president of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, has emphasized the need for all available teachers in the current situation.
The continued hiring of teachers on fixed-term contracts in wealthier states is largely due to structural and budgetary factors tied to Germany's decentralized education system. Each state's Ministry of Education is responsible for hiring teachers, leading to variability in how they address shortages.
Budget constraints and austerity measures are a significant factor. Even rich states face municipal and state-level budget limits and cuts in public services, leading to a preference for fixed-term hiring that poses fewer long-term financial commitments. Ongoing public spending cuts affecting schools and social services despite the growing workforce shortage have been highlighted in some reports.
The decentralized governance and complex bureaucracy also play a role. Fixed-term contracts provide flexibility to adjust staffing based on short-term needs and bureaucratic hurdles can delay permanent hiring decisions.
Changing employment policies are another factor. While traditionally many teachers obtained lifetime civil servant status after a probationary phase, this practice varies by state and is evolving due to labor market and policy changes. Some states are increasingly hiring on fixed-term contracts as part of managing teacher workforce supply and costs.
The immediate need to fill vacancies often means states resort to fixed-term contracts to quickly appoint qualified teachers, including through international recruitment efforts. However, Tepe finds it incomprehensible that this practice continues, especially in light of the teacher shortage.
It's important to note that Meidinger has not commented on the concerns expressed by Tepe about the continued hiring of teachers on fixed-term contracts in wealthier states. He has also not described the practice as indecent towards the teachers or expressed any surprise or concern about the dramatic teacher shortage.
The legal situation allows for no full entitlement to continued payment during the summer holidays for teachers with short-term employment relationships, such as half-year contracts from February to July. Meidinger has clarified that the lack of continued payment during the summer holidays is not always due to malicious intent from authorities, but partly due to the legal situation.
The teacher summer unemployment is particularly pronounced in Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, and Bavaria. Marlis Tepe believes that the federal states are gradually moving away from the "hire-and-fire" principle of teaching staff.
In conclusion, despite being wealthier and better-resourced than other regions, these states balance budgetary pressures, legal frameworks, and urgent staffing needs by continuing to employ a large share of teachers on fixed-term contracts. This practice reflects broader structural challenges in Germany’s education system and public sector employment rather than mere financial inability.
- Marlis Tepe, the chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW), has expressed her disbelief about the ongoing practice of employing teachers on fixed-term contracts in wealthier states, considering it an injustice to employees paying social security contributions, especially in light of the growing teacher shortage.
- Even though some general-news reports have highlighted ongoing public spending cuts affecting schools and social services despite the growing workforce shortage, politics in these wealthier German states seem to prioritize the hiring of teachers on fixed-term contracts as a means to manage teacher workforce supply and costs, rather than addressing the issue of education-and-self-development quality.
