EU comparison
On average, young Germans in the EU tend to be reluctant to learn
Economic policy is also increasingly coming into focus in Brussels and Strasbourg. A draft report from the EU Commission now deals with the challenges facing the European labor market.
In Germany, compared to the EU, a relatively large number of young people leave school early or break off their training. The proportion of young people who have completed at most secondary level 1 was 12.8 percent in 2023, significantly above the EU average of 9.5 percent, warns the EU Commission in a current draft report. This puts Germany in the critical area. The situation is only worse in Spain and Romania.
As the draft for the so-called joint employment report states, the proportion of 15-year-olds without basic knowledge of mathematics, for example, has almost doubled since 2012. However, Germany is one of the leaders in the EU when it comes to adult education.
According to the Commission, the German labor market performs well overall compared to the EU. However, there is a persistent labor and skills shortage and women are not sufficiently integrated into the labor market. In the employment report, the EU Commission summarizes how the labor market and areas relevant to the labor market such as education are developing in the various EU countries.
Too little productivity is increasingly a problem in the EU
The European Commission rates the EU labor market as remarkably resilient. Among other things, the unemployment rate fell to a historic low of 6.1 in 2023, a trend that continued in 2024. However, productivity continued to decline in 2023, after having already declined significantly between 2010 and 2019. “This could affect the EU’s global competitiveness,” the Commission said.
Real wages are still lower compared to previous years. “Therefore, appropriate minimum wages are needed to protect low earners,” said the authority.
dpa
Source: Stern
