This paper deals with the (partial) erosion of the Standard Employment Relationship due to the spreading of "irregular" employment patterns. The functions of the standard employment relationship and the connections with social security are explored, and the reasons for the emergence of irregular employment patterns as well as their quantitative significance are examined. Although, so far, only a minority of the labor force has been affected involuntarily, it is concluded that under the auspices of persistent high unemployment an increasing numbers of persons is confronted destabilized careers and processes of impoverishment. Furthermore, the ongoing development has deepened the segmentation of the labor market.
