"The report analyzes the development of Occupational Welfare in Germany, focusing on the fields of occupational pensions and unemployment prevention. Starting with an overview of recent developments in the German welfare state and the system of industrial relations, and building on empirical data and studies as well as collective agreements and information from interviews with representatives of social partners, it discusses the regulation and provision of occupational pensions and measures designed to prevent unemployment. While as a consequence of reforms of public pension insurance, occupational pensions turned from a HR tool to an instrument of social policy and now act as a partial substitute for reduced public pensions, collective agreements on short-time work benefits were measures used during an economic crisis in order to expand and extend public benefits. It can be shown that the provision of occupational pensions on the basis of collective agreements follows a rather different approach compared to measures used to prevent unemployment, especially short-time work schemes. It can also be shown that OW tends to be rather selective in Germany."

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