People & Politics | Willing Helpers - The German Government

264 views · Published 24 April 2009 · 5:18 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: DW News · 2009 · News & Politics

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With a general election less than six months away,the government coalition is at pains to prevent media headlines featuring rising unemployment. Among the action being taken is a government-funded short-time working hours scheme,where employers pay as little as a third of the net wage. The objective is to prevent people being laid off due to a temporary downturn in business. The program is now set to be expanded in Germany and also introduced elsewhere in Europe. We visit a mid-sized Berlin optical technology company to see the scheme in practice and ask whether the government is right to intervene in the labor market.

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