Although voting in person will take place on the day, postal voting has already begun and it is expected that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more people than ever before will choose to cast their vote via post. 

This year there are a total of 47 parties listed on the ballot sheet and whoever wins will have to put together a coalition with one or two other parties. Some of the key issues being discussed in relation to the election include:

• The economic consequences of the pandemic

• Increasing the minimum wage

• Meeting the environmental targets set by the outgoing government and curbing the country's carbon emissions 

Whether climate change and environmental targets will have an impact on day-to-day behavior has been one of the critical points of the election. IZA World of Labor author Marie Connolly has looked at studies on climate change in the United States and in Germany, and she argues that climate change will affect people's wellbeing and how they spend their time.

"Research suggests rising temperatures will reduce time spent working and enjoying outdoor leisure, while increasing indoor leisure. The burden will fall disproportionately on workers in industries more exposed to heat and those who live in warmer regions, with the potential to increase existing patterns of inequalities," she writes in her article.

• Read Nico Pestel's updated article Employment effects of green energy policies (Deutsch) (Español)

• Read Olivier Deschenes' updated article Environmental regulations and labor markets (Deutsch) (Español)

• Read Sefi Roth's article Air pollution, educational achievements, and human capital formation (Deutsch) (Español)

• Read Matthew Neidell's article Air pollution and worker productivity (Deutsch) (Español)

• Read Wayne B. Gray's article Environmental regulations and business decisions (Deutsch)

• Interaction between technology and recruiting practices (Deutsch) by Vera Brencic

• Alcoholism and mortality in Eastern Europe (Deutsch) by Evgeny Yakovlev

• Is training effective for older workers? (Deutsch) by Matteo Picchio

• Corporate income taxes and entrepreneurship (Deutsch) by Jörn Block

• Do in-work benefits work for low-skilled workers? (Deutsch) by Bruno Van der Linden

• 6th IZA Workshop: The Economics of Education, September 22-24 2021 - Online

• IZA Workshop: Economics of Time Use and Mental Health: Stress, Sleep, Fatigue and Employment, October 05-06 2021 - Online

• 4th IDSC of IZA Workshop: Matching Workers and Jobs Online - New Developments and Opportunities for Social Science and Practice, October 08 2021 - Online 

• 4th IZA/Higher School of Economics Workshop: Thirty Years after the Fall of the Iron Curtain: The Contribution of Labor Market Adjustment to Transition and Convergence, October 22-23 2021 - Online 

• ADAPT Conference - Work and its value: Interdisciplinary Reflections on an Ever-Changing Concept, November 25-27 2021 - Bergamo, Italy