Worker assignment (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung) is the legal term in Germany for the temporary assignment of employees by a staffing firm to a client company. The legal basis is the Worker Assignment Act (AÜG). It requires a licence from the Federal Employment Agency, written contracts between the lender, the user enterprise and the employee, and compliance with social-insurance and working-time rules.
Worker assignment differs clearly from a work contract: with worker assignment the client directs the activity; under a work contract the contractor independently organises performance. Crossing this line triggers social-insurance and tax-law consequences for both sides.
For candidates the term matters mainly in job postings. If a posting mentions "Arbeitnehmerüberlassung" or "Personaldienstleistung", the contract model, pay structure and prospects of permanent transfer deserve close attention. The format is also common in IT specialist staffing.
Lunigi makes the employment model – direct hire versus worker assignment – visible in the curated email digest.