{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T11:42:18Z","timestamp":1778758938832,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]],"date-time":"2024-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1709251200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Res. Metr. Anal."],"abstract":"<jats:p>The German system of higher education and public research is characterized by a high rate of temporary contracts with short contract durations and a nearly complete absence of structured career options. About 82% of employees not holding a full professorship have fixed-term contracts, with an average contract period of 20 months. This is facilitated by a special fixed-term employment law (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) which universities and other public research institutions have stretched to its limits. Against the background of a survey which we conducted in 2021 and whose results once more demonstrate the shortcomings of this system, we discuss alternative options in the form of model calculations. We propose a reform of employment structures and career paths that could improve not only personal working conditions but also ensure the quality of research and teaching in German academia. By quantitative comparison with the current employment situation, our model calculation demonstrates that plannable career decisions can be enabled at an early stage without changing budgets or teaching duties. We also show that the counter argument of a \u201ccongestion\u201d of positions is not substantiated, and that young scholars will still have the opportunity to start a career in the reformed system, while the total number of employees can be kept nearly constant.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/frma.2024.1301354","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]],"date-time":"2024-03-01T04:58:22Z","timestamp":1709269102000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["There are alternatives. Models for sustainable employment structures in the German system of higher education"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Mathias","family":"Kuhnt","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Peter","family":"M\u00fc\u00dfig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Tilman","family":"Reitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","first-page":"468","article-title":"Das Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz. Latente Widerspr\u00fcche und offene Konflikte","volume":"52","author":"Bloch","year":"2023","journal-title":"Soziologie"},{"key":"B2","volume-title":"Bundesbericht Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs","year":"2021"},{"key":"B3","unstructured":"Die Zwischenevaluation bei der Juniorprofessur \u2013 Eine Bestandsaufnahme2017"},{"key":"B4","volume-title":"Das Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz. Eine erste Evaluation der Novellierung von 2016.","author":"Gassmann","year":"2020"},{"key":"B5","first-page":"177","article-title":"Wie viele Postdocs gibt es in Deutschland? Drei Berechnungsans\u00e4tze und erste Ergebnisse","volume":"64","author":"Krempkow","year":"2016","journal-title":"Das Hochschulwesen"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.25368\/2022.366","author":"Kuhnt","year":"2022","journal-title":"Arbeiten unter dem Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz. Eine Evaluation von Befristungsrecht und -realit\u00e4t an deutschen Universit\u00e4ten"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1438","DOI":"10.1080\/03075079.2015.1060711","article-title":"Explaining the increase in publication productivity among academic staff: a generational perspective","volume":"40","author":"Kyvik","year":"2015","journal-title":"Stud. High. Educ."},{"key":"B8","volume-title":"Evaluation des Novellierten Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetzes.","author":"Sommer","year":"2022"},{"key":"B9","unstructured":"SpechtJ.\n            HofC.\n            TjusJ.\n            PerniceW.\n            EndesfelderU.\n          Departments statt Lehrst\u00fchle: Moderne Personalstruktur f\u00fcr eine zukunftsf\u00e4hige Wissenschaft. Debattenbeitrag der AG Wissenschaftspolitik der Jungen Akademie2017"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-662-48112-7_2","article-title":"\u201cGeschlecht und Personalauswahl an Hochschulen und ausserhochschulischen Forschungseinrichtungen,\u201d","volume-title":"Personalauswahl in der Wissenschaft","author":"Steinweg","year":"2015"},{"key":"B11","unstructured":"WinklerM.\n          Professor2023"},{"key":"B12","volume-title":"Strukturen der Forschungsfinanzierung an deutschen Hochschulen.","year":"2023"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/frma.2024.1301354\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]],"date-time":"2024-03-01T04:58:29Z","timestamp":1709269109000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/frma.2024.1301354\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]]},"references-count":12,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/frma.2024.1301354"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/frma.2024.1301354","relation":{},"ISSN":["2504-0537"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2504-0537","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,1]]},"article-number":"1301354"}}