It's the kind of news that folks in most countries would get all excited about. A research institute in Germany reports today just over one million jobs in Germany vacant and in need of unemployed folks. When you consider a population of only eighty million....this ought to be really positive news. But it really doesn't come off sounding that way.
So you start gazing at the one million unemployed jobs. The research institute was careful not to break the numbers down into simple areas of employment (carpenters, doctors, nurses, etc). When you avoid that breakdown, then there's a problem.
My guess is that most of these one million empty jobs are cheaper labor jobs at fast-food restaurants, and mini-groceries around the country. These are the 10-Euro an hour or cheaper jobs. Take out taxes and health insurance....and you barely bring home a thousand Euro. Take out your apartment, heating, electricity, your car, and food....and you might have five bucks left at the end of the month. Forget about savings, clothing, or dog food.
These are survival jobs, and not much to feel great about.
There is a positive economy going on in Germany at present, but don't get overly excited about one million empty jobs. It's just not what you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment