German jobless hits 15-year low

news.bbc.co.uk ^ | 11/29/2007 | news.bbc.co.uk

[WesternCulture]

The number of people out of work in Germany dropped to its lowest level in almost 15 years during November, the Federal Labour Agency has reported.

Companies continued to expand their workforces with 600,000 more jobs created than last year, it said.

[WesternCulture]

This is good news, not only for Europe but for the world economy.

Perhaps the world economy can continue to develop in the right direction, despite the strong Euro (which, naturally, isn't an advantage to the large European export industry).

While a lot of the French workers are on silly strikes, most Germans seem intelligent enough in the area of economy to arrive at the conclusion that hard work is the solution to their present economical challenges.

However, a lot of people in France are tired of Socialism and zero economic growth too.

I wish both Merkel and Sarkozy good luck.

Europe needs more of Conservatism.

[untenured]

Things in France, Germany and Italy are still bad, but they are as “least bad” as they have been in some while. There was one other false start like this in the early part of this decade that came to nothing, and there is some evidence that if anything the US troubles may rebound even worse in parts of Europe, but there is at least the hope that the depression that has gone in since the early 1990s in Germany and since the early 1980s in France may be ending. These countries still have major problems with labor-market rigidities that countries like Denmark got rid of, but M. Sarkozy at least probably has the mandate to solve these problems.

[Sir_Humphrey]

The article doesn’t mention the actual percentage that is unemployed.

[IchBinEinBerliner]

"The article doesn’t mention the actual percentage that is unemployed" The unemloyment rate is a seasonally adjusted 8.7%

http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7069086.stm

[kylaka]

Probably broke the 10% barrier. It has been running 10 - 12% for the last 15 years.

[SMARTY]

Is Krupps back in business?

[dennisw]

Germany runs a very good trade surplus. IIRC it’s ~190 billion per year. That’s very good for a nation that imports its oil/energy and much better than the USA

[DungeonMaster]

In America we don’t count people that refuse to work as unemployed.

[antiRepublicrat]

I knew dumping that socialist Schroeder would pay off.

[antiRepublicrat]

Is Krupps back in business?

Die Krupps is alive and well, still together. They're about to release two "best of" albums.

Oh, the company? They're still around, merged with Thyssen a few years back to form a huge conglomerate making steel and commercial goods I had one of their coffee makers.

[BfloGuy]

In America we don’t count people that refuse to work as unemployed.

You mean like housewives and retired people?

[pierrem15]

Thyssen-Krupp also has a logistics (trucking) company. It’s odd to see the name and 3 wheel logo rolling across the USA.

[pierrem15]

It’s still amazing to me that 8.7% is a 15 year low: is there still a huge disparity between eastern and western Germany, with 20% unemployment in the east and 6% in western Germany (lower even in Bavaria)?

[DungeonMaster]

You mean like housewives and retired people?

No I mean like men who's girl friends are on welfare and who live off of that.

[SMARTY]

I know all about them, but I was not asking about household appliances.

[antiRepublicrat]

but I was not asking about household appliances.

Too bad. They produce great coffee makers. :)

[stefan10]

The really really sad thing for every conservative in germany is that the financial and economic policy of Schroeder was better than the policy of the present Merkel government and much better than Kohl before.

The reforms germany benefits from were established by Schröder while Merkel is a complete economic disappointment until now. In terms of th economic reforms schröder was a good and clever leader at least he was a leader who addresses the problems and did not only travel around the world talking about climate change as Mrs merkel does.

[Atlantic Bridge]

Yup. Merkel turned out as a pain in the ass. This is not her merit but the merit of Schroeder (who is also a pain in the ass and a traitor). She is a socialist with a feminist imprint that received its socialization in eastern Germany. Furthermore she has for sure absolutely nothing to do with conservatism or capitalism in the positive sense, since her politics are based on the preservation of power, socialist ideas and on opportunism. Her worst minister is -from my point of view- Ursula von der Leyen.

The sad thing in Germany is that the so called "party-democracy" has turned into a dictatorship of the administrations, since the electable parties have no real difference anymore. It is senseless to go to an election in the meantime because the practical politics of CDU, SPD, Gruene are more or less all the same. Between the programs of the CDU and the SPD is only very little difference i.e.. Solely the FDP is a small contrast but also mainstream. Our political "representative" system is simply not free. The voter has the possibility to give his consent (or not - who cares) after 4 years, but he has for sure absolutely no chance to take any influence by himself. This is only possible over the mainstream parties with their ugly mainstream socialist dumbass programs. The practical politics always stay the same: Socialist mainstream BS.

A poster designed by my mother (who is a artist) with the title: Is there a choice?"

P.S. I pray each day that God gives that the Swiss (who have a REAL democracy) invade us southern Germans one sunny day. I would be the first to surrender. (yeah yeah ... bad sarcasm)

[antiRepublicrat]

The really really sad thing for every conservative in germany is that the financial and economic policy of Schroeder was better than the policy of the present Merkel government and much better than Kohl before.

I remember Schroeder doing one good thing: an attempt at reforming arbeitslos so that people can't just stay on it forever. After that, I just remembered a lot of extra and higher taxes. As far as Merkel, one of her problems is that she doesn't have a coalition with a clear majority. She can't do much if the SPD doesn't want it to happen.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Think the media will attribute it to Merkel?