Working conditions in NRW slowly improving, report finds

But employment remains precarious for scientists, despite German state’s revised contract law

Scientists in North Rhine-Westphalia continue to struggle with short-term employment and job insecurity, despite a reform of contracting law, according to a report.

The evaluation found that academic employment remains precarious in the state—which has more universities than any other German federal state—and that progress on improving the situation has been slow. The report, published by North Rhine-Westphalia’s research ministry, analysed employment conditions after the introduction of the “contract for good employment conditions”, agreed with local universities.