Specific reason (with regard to the term of an employment contract): In § 14 (§ 14 TzBfG), the Act on part-time work and fixed-term employment contracts (TzBfG) specifies when the limitation of an employment contract is justified on the basis of a specific reason. A specific reason could be, for example, the need for a temporary replacement or a temporary operational or project-related need for additional workers. It must be borne in mind that, according to the legal practice, the likelihood that the employer is abusing the statutory option of a time limit with regard to employment contracts increases with the number of successive periods limited on the basis of specific reasons­ and increasing duration from about six to seven years onwards.

Source: touring artists Contracts - gainful activity