The Kurzarbeit part-time working scheme is criticised as expensive – but it has protected German jobs and skills
Alongside Zoom, Netflix and Amazon, Germanophilia has to be counted as one of the prime victors of the pandemic that has so thoroughly remade the world this year. It isn’t hard to see why: for every collapse of Anglo-American leadership, there seems to have been a German counter-example. From testing to lockdowns, contact tracing to hospital beds, Germany has thrived where Britain has floundered. Most recently, the decision of Merkel’s coalition government to extend the popular furlough scheme known as Kurzarbeit (literally, “short work”), is being greeted by many as another example of Teutonic good sense.
Related: Germany to extend coronavirus furlough to 24 months
Continue reading…The Kurzarbeit part-time working scheme is criticised as expensive – but it has protected German jobs and skillsAlongside Zoom, Netflix and Amazon, Germanophilia has to be counted as one of the prime victors of the pandemic that has so thoroughly remade the world this year. It isn’t hard to see why: for every collapse of Anglo-American leadership, there seems to have been a German counter-example. From testing to lockdowns, contact tracing to hospital beds, Germany has thrived where Britain has floundered. Most recently, the decision of Merkel’s coalition government to extend the popular furlough scheme known as Kurzarbeit (literally, “short work”), is being greeted by many as another example of Teutonic good sense. Related: Germany to extend coronavirus furlough to 24 months Continue reading…