IAAEU researchers Laszlo Goerke and Yue Huang, together with Markus Grabka from the DIW in Berlin and Viola Hilbert from Leipzig University and DIW, have just published a new paper on "Industrial Relations and Working From Home in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic" in the special issue of LABOUR: Review of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Italian Association of Labour Economics.
Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the authors examine how industrial relations are associated with working from home. They show that employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement are less likely to work from home and do so to a lesser extent than comparable employees not subject to a collective agreement. In contrast, employees in co-determined establishments are more likely to work from home and do so more often. While the negative correlation between working from home and collective bargaining coverage is the same for men and women, the positive association with works councils is only observed among the latter.
With this paper, Yue Huang extends her work on remote work into a novel direction. The IAAEU strengthens its extensive analysis of the role of industrial relations in Germany. The IAAEU researchers are grateful to the co-authors at DIW Berlin and Leipzig University for the excellent collaboration.
Link to the study
An earlier version of the study is available as IAAEU Discussion Paper 04/2026.
Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the authors examine how industrial relations are associated with working from home. They show that employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement are less likely to work from home and do so to a lesser extent than comparable employees not subject to a collective agreement. In contrast, employees in co-determined establishments are more likely to work from home and do so more often. While the negative correlation between working from home and collective bargaining coverage is the same for men and women, the positive association with works councils is only observed among the latter.
With this paper, Yue Huang extends her work on remote work into a novel direction. The IAAEU strengthens its extensive analysis of the role of industrial relations in Germany. The IAAEU researchers are grateful to the co-authors at DIW Berlin and Leipzig University for the excellent collaboration.
Link to the study
An earlier version of the study is available as IAAEU Discussion Paper 04/2026.
