VAW Quarterly Journal of Labor and Economic Research
About the Quarterly Journal of Labour and Economic Research – Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und
Wirtschaftsforschung (VAW)
https://www.duncker-humblot.de/zeitschrift/vierteljahreshefte-zur-arbeits-und-wirtschaftsforschung-vaw-30 address current important topics in economic policy and labour market development and examine them from an applied scientific perspective. In line with this guiding principle, the VAW brings together analyses from applicati-on-oriented research on labour and economic policy ‘construction sites’ and key issues for the future in a thematic volume. German-speaking and international researchers have their say. In addition to its application and practical orientation, the journal is also committed to the goals of plurality, knowledge transfer and relevance.
Following in the tradition of the former Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, the Quarterly Journal of Labour and Economic Research (VAW) aims to provide guidance on complex economic policy issues. Work-related topics such as labour demand, education and training, and specific aspects of human resources policy are considered, as are financial and transformation issues. The aim for the future is to continue to highlight new perspectives and practical solutions in these areas. A particular incentive for publication in the VAW for some may be that, thanks to funding from the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, it will be published in diamond open access from 2025 onwards. This means that there are no costs for authors and the articles are freely available to readers.
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Quarterly Journal of Labor and Economic Research
Vol. 4, Issue 3 (2027)
Unskilled or simple work in Services
Special Issue of the Quarterly Journal for Labour and Economic Research (VAW)
Nearly one-fifth of all employed individuals in Germany are engaged in unskilled or simple work, meaning they perform job activities that do not require a relevant professional qualification. Today, the majority of those in unskilled or simple work are employed in the service sector. For a long time, labour research has predominantly focused on skilled work and (highly) qualified salaried imployment. Research findings on unskilled or simple work have primarily addressed the production sector, with significantly less attention paid to the service sector. In the latter, diverse landscapes of unskilled or simple work can be observed — for example, in social and health-related services (such as care assistants and support staff), logistics and delivery services, retail, cleaning services, and public administration. Workers in simple or unskilled work often provide essential societal services, yet the complex demands of their work — such as those related to emotional labour — are frequently invisible and, as a result, receive insufficient social recognition.
Unskilled or simple work in the service sector, despite its diversity, faces structural challenges arising from factors such as the digitalization of work, the precariousness of employment, a lack of social recognition, and the relatively high psycho-physical vulnerability of workers. At the same time, unskilled or simple work in the service sector is also viewed as a potential reservoir for addressing the shortage of skilled labour, for instance through labour market policies promoting competence development and qualification.
This special issue aims to sharpen the focus on the varied landscapes of unskilled or simple work in the service sector.
It seeks to bring greater attention from the perspectives of labour research and labour policy to the diversity of simple or unskilled work and its challenges in services, in order to identify pressing needs for action in labour and health policy.
In this context, we particularly welcome empirical contributions addressing the following thematic areas related to unskilled or simple work in the service sector:
• Unskilled or simple service work from the perspective of social and health inequalities, including labour and social policy intervention approaches
• Social and health-related vulnerability of this employee group in service jobs
• Social mechanisms and processes that contribute to the invisibility of unskilled or simple service work and its job demands
• Recognition and interest representation of this employee group
• Competence development and qualification within unskilled or simple service work, and pathways toward qualified occupational careers
• Career biographies, including breaks and continuities among workers in simple or unskilled services
• Methodological and conceptual particularities in researching unskilled or simple work in services (in comparison to skilled work)
Authors who would like to contribute an essay should send a short outline of their planned contribution (approxi-mately half a page) to the editors as soon as possible, but no later than 1st October 2026
We accept contributions in English and German. The final manuscripts, which should not exceed a total length of 10 to 15 pages (30,000 to 40,000 characters, including spaces but excluding the abstract), must be submitted in their first draft by 1st of March 2027. This will be followed by a peer review and revision process consisting of a maxi-mum of two stages. Texts can only be submitted in Word format. Illustrations must be submitted as separate files in reproducible quality. The volume ,Unskilled or simple work in services’ (Einfacharbeit in Dienstleistungen) of the Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung (Quarterly Journal of Labour and Economic Research) is scheduled to be published at the end of September 2027.
Journal Article reviewed
Böhme, René; Dingeldey, Irene, Year of Publication: 2026: Die Renaissance des „arbeitsunwilligen Arbeitslosen“ im öffentlichen Diskurs: Eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme mit Blick auf die soziale Lebenslage von Personen im Leistungsbezug nach Sozialgesetzbuch II, in: Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung (VAW) Mythen der Sozialpolitik – Analysen zur Regulierung von Arbeit und Arbeitslosigkeit, Volume (Issue no): 3-4/2025, Link (Date: 05.02.2026)
Gehring, Thomas; Menkhoff, Lukas; Neuberger, Doris; Schäfer, Dorothea, Year of Publication: 2025: Editorial: Geopolitische Risiken und internationale Finanzmärkte, in: Geopolitische Risiken und internationale Finanzmärkte // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Volume (Issue no): 2 (2), pp. 155 - 158, 12.08.2025, Link (Date: 11.05.2026)
Gehring, Thomas; Menkhoff, Lukas; Neuberger, Doris; Schäfer, Dorothea, Year of Publication: 2025: Editorial: Geopolitische Risiken und Realwirtschaft: Was ändert sich für Deutschland und Europa?, in: Geopolitische Risiken und Realwirtschaft: Was ändert sich für Deutschland und Europa? // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Volume (Issue no): 2 (1), pp. 1 - 5, 12.08.2025, Link (Date: 12.08.2025)
Becke, Guido; Dingeldey, Irene; Klarl, Torben; Schäfer, Dorothea; Schelkle, Waltraud; Seeliger, Martin, Year of Publication: 2025: Editorial: BAUSTELLE sozial-ökologische Transformation, in: Baustelle sozial-ökologische Transformation // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Volume (Issue no): 1 (4), pp. 437 - 441, Link (Date: 13.08.2025)
Böhme, René; Bleses, Peter, Year of Publication: 2024: Bedeutung der Sozialpartnerschaft bei der Bekämpfung des Fachkräftemangels in der Sozialwirtschaft: Ein Vergleich zwischen der Kindertagesbetreuung und der Altenpflege, in: Sozialpartnerschaft neu denken! // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung (VAW), Volume (Issue no): 1 / 2024 (1), pp. 51 - 71, 31.05.2024
Dingeldey, Irene; Schäfer, Dorothea; Schrooten, Mechthild; Sieling, Carsten; Voss, Tim, Year of Publication: 2024: Editorial: Sozialpartnerschaft neu denken!, in: Sozialpartnerschaft neu denken! // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung (VAW), Volume (Issue no): 1 (1), pp. 7 - 14, 03.06.2024, Link (Date: 03.06.2024)
Schulten, Thorsten; Dingeldey, Irene, Year of Publication: 2024: Die EU als Schrittmacher bei der Erhöhung von Mindestlohn und Tarifbindung?, in: Sozialpartnerschaft neu denken! // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Volume (Issue no): 1 (1), pp. 17 - 32, 05.06.2024, Link (Date: 11.06.2024)
Journal Article
Betzelt, Sigrid; Bode, Ingo; Dingeldey, Irene, Year of Publication: 2026: Editorial: Mythen der Sozialpolitik – Debatten zu Finanzen, Arbeit, Migration Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, in: Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Mythen der Sozialpolitik – Analysen zur Regulierung von Arbeit und Arbeitslosigkeit, Volume (Issue no): 2025, 2 (4), pp. 409 - 415, 28.01.2026, Link (Date: 23.02.2026)
Becke, Guido; Dingeldey, Irene; Klarl, Torben; Schäfer, Andrea; Schelkle, Waltraud; Seeliger, Martin, Year of Publication: 2026: Editorial: Digital, ökologisch und sozial gerecht? Die dreifache Herausforderung der dualen Transformation, in: Digital, ökologisch und sozial gerecht? Die dreifache Herausforderung der sozialen Transformation // Vierteljahreshefte zur Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsforschung, Volume (Issue no): 1 (3), pp. 315 - 319, 11.05.2026, Link (Date: 11.05.2026)
Magazine
Becke, Guido; Dingeldey, Irene; Emunds, Bernhard; Ergen, Timur; Gehring, Thomas; Gischer, Horst; Klarl, Torben; Kotz, Hans-Helmut; Menkhoff, Lukas; Neuberger, Doris; Peters, Sally; Proano, Christian R.; Schäfer, Dorothea; Schelkle, Waltraud; Schrooten, Mechthild; Semmler, Willi; Stephan, Andreas, Year of Publication: 2026: Mythen der Sozialpolitik – Analysen zur Regulierung von Arbeit und Arbeitslosigkeit, Volume (Issue no): 2025, 2 (4), Duncker & Humblot, Link (Date: 23.02.2026)
