New Report shows Socilisms effects on German Employment

[Mr.Vicchio]

German unemployment jumped to the highest since World War II as new rules added welfare recipients to the jobless register, clouding the outlook for Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in elections this month. The number of people out of work in January rose by 227,000 to 4.71 million in seasonally adjusted terms, including 230,000 new jobless claimants, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. The adjusted unemployment rate rose to 11.4 percent, a seven-year high, while the unadjusted jobless total passed 5 million for the first time since the war. Schroeder's government had cut jobless benefits and forced claimants to take low-paid jobs in an attempt to get more people into work in Europe's largest economy. The chancellor was campaigning today in Schleswig-Holstein, where his Social Democratic Party is trying to hold on to power in the Feb. 20 state elections. ``The psychological significance of 5 million unemployed could be very damaging for the government,'' said Hans-Juergen Hoffmann, managing director of Hamburg-based opinion-research company Psephos GmbH. ``The rise in unemployment will make the campaign more difficult.'' Schroeder told reporters in Husum in Schleswig-Holstein that today's figures were ``depressing, but they are honest.'' ===== Elsewhere in Europe In December, Germany had the second highest unemployment rate after Spain among the 12 countries that share the euro, at 10 percent on a comparable basis. The rate in France was 9.7 percent. In the U.K., the latest available comparable rate is 4.6 percent for October. The German jobless statistics now include all recipients of what is known as unemployment benefit II, paid to those without a job for more than a year as well as people such as single mothers and low wage-earners who used to receive social-welfare payments and did not have to register at job centers. All those on the new benefit who can work at least three hours a day are counted as jobseekers and face benefit cuts if they reject job offers. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=as0vGJBvnMGM

Yes the UK is doing Ok, 4.9% is all right.

Too bad the rest of Europe is not. And guess what, this is the future of socialism in Europe. You can have it. I wish this article addresed the other issue; the cost of the welfare rolls going up and hte loss of taxpayers....

[Catch 22]

lol vicchio you make me laugh with your usual "it's all socialism's fault" crapola. Most European nations average longer (thus keeping more people on the official list) and when there’s not a push to take up low wage or temp jobs instead of a full paying job because of the ample unemployment benifets. Plus, the numbersare absolute bull, they can be manipulated to all hell and still mean nothing if new jobs are lower paying with less benefits.

Besides what does wealth transfer and tax policy have to do with the poor economy? Germany has the largest economy in Europe and it got there with strong labor and tax policy. The real culprit is probably the high euro which has been depreciating exports and hurting the EU economy.

[Pooeypants]

If this problem was only due to just Socialism then ALL socialist countries should be facing this problem, evidently, this isn't true now then is it?

[Pale RIder]

A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...0/ixworld.html

[bishop]

unemployment in sweden in 2003 was 4.9% while we were 6%.. just check out the cia factbook.

the problems in germany are germany-specific, i don't think vicchio will acknowledge that.

[PatrickHenry]

Quote by: Pale RIder A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...0/ixworld.html

This is a shitty deal. Forcing women into prostitution to keep from being denied unemployment? One reason for not making prostitution legal in the US. From the article:

Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job – including in the sex industry – or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990. The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars. As a result, job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse. When the waitress looked into suing the job centre, she found out that it had not broken the law. Job centres that refuse to penalise people who turn down a job by cutting their benefits face legal action from the potential employer. "There is now nothing in the law to stop women from being sent into the sex industry," said Merchthild Garweg, a lawyer from Hamburg who specialises in such cases. "The new regulations say that working in the sex industry is not immoral any more, and so jobs cannot be turned down without a risk to benefits."

[castille]

The German solution: Recruit more Turkish immigrants for low-paid jobs, then blame them for stealing German jobs.

[bishop]

germany used to be europe's manufacturing center.. now those jobs are largely moving to eastern european states. new EU members like hungary, the czech republic, poland and slovakia.

[Pooeypants]

People forget seem that with the fall of Berlin's Wall, alot of the East's problems were spread over to burden the West. You can't claim it's fully recovered from the merger yet, can you?

[Mr.Vicchio]

Keep telling yourselves this.

Like I said the unemployment is only one issue. What's the cost to the government with the loss of tax payers and the rise of welfare recipients?

That's the real story.

[Matt W]

Mr. V, we tell ourselves this because it's right. German problems are not Socialist problems - they are the problems of trying to build a unified country out of two very disparate parts.

[Pooeypants]

I will, because I know that socialism works, the Labour gov't has been in power for 7 years now and with all the socialist policies they've made our economy has gone strength to strength. Like I said, their foreign policies may be questionable but as far as Economy is concerned, they've truly excelled.

[Catch 22]

The labor government isn't too left wing from my economic vantage point pooey. Most of my brit friends who are leftist vehemently hate labor policy and not just cause of the war and the “anti social behavior” bull. Perhaps I’ve heard wrong but it looks as if you’ve hit a clinton like “boom”. As under clinton we had a "boom" too, only issue was that it almost solely benefited the upper 20 percent of the population. Dunno the exact stats on Britain but methinks there’s a similar pattern.

[Pooeypants]

Quote by: Catch 22 The labor government isn't too left wing from my economic vantage point pooey. Most of my brit friends who are leftist vehemently hate labor policy and not just cause of the war and the “anti social behavior” bull. Perhaps I’ve heard wrong but it looks as if you’ve hit a clinton like “boom”. As under clinton we had a "boom" too, only issue was that it almost solely benefited the upper 20 percent of the population. Dunno the exact stats on Britain but methinks there’s a similar pattern.

Labour plans to crack down on the "Yob culture" and "binge drinking". The latter is a serious problem which costs the economy billions per year. Source

Although their methods of tackling it such as on the spot police fines are suspect and not to mention the recent approval of 24hr pub opening bill which I would've thought is kind of a contradiction.
The economy "boom" has been beneficially for fairly good the classes throughout, the low income earners are now getting a minimum wage of £4.90 per hour.

However, we do seem to have hit a spot of bother with the price of houses...it's just far too high and the average first time buyer age is about 35 years of age... :eek:

[blibbka]

New Labour... Socialist? Are you sure about that? I think they are too close to the middle-grounds to be called convincinly termed Socialist.

[Pooeypants]

Quote by: blibbka New Labour... Socialist? Are you sure about that? I think they are too close to the middle-grounds to be called convincinly termed Socialist.

Well, they're no longer as Socialistic as they used to be but they have still reinforced our welfare services. I think it's still a member of the Socialist International. Source

[Catch 22]

Labour plans to crack down on the "Yob culture" and "binge drinking". The latter is a serious problem which costs the economy billions per yearAlthough their methods of tackling it such as on the spot police fines are suspect and not to mention the recent approval of 24hr pub opening bill which I would've thought is kind of a contradiction.

Hehe that’s always the justification for crack downs they also only target the “young ruffians”. Considering what they’re doing with national id cards, it all sounds like a load of bull designed to gather more power under the elite’s wing.

The economy "boom" has been beneficially for fairly good the classes throughout, the low income earners are now getting a minimum wage of £4.90 per hour

That doesn’t disprove my point though, what’s the overall picture of wage growth for various classes? Is the wealth divide lessening? Is there substantial evidence that any possitive trends won’t zip backwards once the economy contracts?

[Pooeypants]

Fancy reading a marxist's assessment on the British Economy?

[castille]

First Brit government to shoot the royal family (especially the princes) and solve the weather problem gets $100 from me.

[Matt W]

Nah, never happen. Besides, I'd leave William out of it - he seems ok.