The system of German industrial relations aroused lively interest following the corporatist crisis management of 2009/2010, which was credited with ‘Germany’s jobs miracle’. In 2019, it is apparent that although works councils and multi-employer collective bargaining are still alive, labour relations as a whole are undergoing substantial changes. It is the aim of this special issue to improve the understanding of these changes, and to open up new perspectives on both the theory and practice of industrial relations.