ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the German call centre scene. It examines the distribution of various forms of call centre, the number of jobs, the employment structure, the working and employment conditions of call centre agents and their remuneration as well as the qualifications and training of call centre workers. The chapter presents the question of how far the rigid division of labour that is such a prominent characteristic of work organisation in German call centres is unavoidable or whether there is scope for the introduction of more participatory forms of work organisation. Important factors in describing the structure of employment in call centres include the gender distribution, the share of full-time and part-time workers and the age and/or qualification structure. The official German statistics on the service sector do not help to determine the structure and evolution of the call centre 'sector', even when a sectoral distribution of call centres is available.
