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A comment on Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing Jobs. Parent comment

Re:Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing ... by JanSt on Sunday May 28, 2017 @12:22PM (#14434969)
He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. While french workers only have a 35 hours work week and greece workers get to enjoy a long pension, germans work till 67 (soon 69) getting a lower pension (as percentage of pay) and mostly work 40 hours (for full time workers. Statistics are heavily skewed by (mostly) female part time work which is tax-incentized). Many countries did not adjust as hard to a globalized world as germany did (real wage loss in the last ten years while lowering pension, pushing back retirement age, etc.)

edit: I upvoted him, just for the record

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing ... by RobertoG on Sunday May 28, 2017 @12:36PM (#14435048)
Well, and that's part of the problem no? When the economy improves why is not the welfare of the Germans improving? If not that their people have a better life, what it means that an economy is going well then?

We read about micro-jobs and how some retired people have to work again in one of the richest countries in the world.

What is the point of a stronger economy if the life is harder for their inhabitants?

I think that part of the answer is that this is a fight between countries only in appearance (or only as an excuse).

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing ... by JanSt on Sunday May 28, 2017 @02:42PM (#14435557)
The thing is that the conditions have changed considerably. In earlier times there were 3-4 people working for every retired person and the average retirement span was ~5 years. Now it's 2:1 and ~15 years in retirement. Something has to give, sadly...
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing ... by RobertoG on Sunday May 28, 2017 @04:49PM (#14436026)
Not sure if I follow the reasoning.

If now 1 person makes the work of 4, why something have to give? Is not the economy producing more than in 'early times'?

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Re:Why Germany Still Has So Many Middle-Class Manufacturing ... by crdoconnor on Sunday May 28, 2017 @03:42PM (#14435770)
"He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. "

This didn't give Germany much of an economic stimulus although it did help to filter the wealth created by their export boom upward.

Hartz was good for profits though, which a lot of economists seem to confuse with being "good for growth".

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