Interesting video clip [17 meg]. How is Germany cleaning our [US] clock with their much higher labor and materials costs and much higher environmental standards?
"German solar technology firms quintupled their sales abroad in the last three years, for an industry total of a billion euros in
2006. German photovoltaic companies have their eye on the European domestic market. But they are also rapidly expanding in the United States and Asia. The Solar Economy Association expects the photovoltaic market to expand by 20 percent a year for the next 15 years, creating many jobs in Germany. Klaus Enderle visited Solon, a photovoltaic company in Berlin that will be opening new production facilities next year. In Cooperation with the Handelsblatt."
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Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
============== A major problem in attempting to compare (un)employment rates between countries and/or across time is the [change/difference in] definitions used, and in many cases "underemployment" and "credentialing creep" is as bad a problem as "unemployment," i.e. requiring a college degree to wash dishes.
For some insight into the German problems click on
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There does not appear to be a comparable USA paper, but I note that the US has repeatedly changed the definition of "employed/unemployed" which strangely enough always seems to reduce the reported numbers.
Be aware there are three sets of numbers commonly used, and within these categories US and OECD numbers are *NOT* directly comparable.
(1) Standardized unemployment rates that have been "massaged," e.g. seasonal adjustment, etc.
(2) Registered unemployment rates, i.e. generally the count of people drawing unemployment checks. This number is fairly well defined, although the criteria varies widely (wildly?) between countries and even the US states as to who qualifies for unemployment benefits, but the major problem is defining how many are in the total labor force to calculate the rates.
(3)Survey based unemployment rates and levels which is subject to considerable manipulation by sample selection, exact criteria used, etc.
Be reminded that in the US if your unemployment compensation runs out, you drop off the commonly used unemployment totals/rates because you are assumed to be not actively looking for work, and thus not part of the active labor force.
For the best available information click on
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and scroll almost to the bottom.
In many areas informal/black employment is becoming more important as regulations and taxes increase. In reference another thread, are the people engaged in copper "salvage" "employed?" After all, they are just 'redeploying assets' as any good venture capitalist would do....
Enron-Anderson accounting at its best....
Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
I think the 8.6% is all in France. The way there is if you went to this school - then you are Sr. management/Design That - then middle so so oh that one - then you are what ever it takes.
And if not in the three tier university system of class (pass test to entry) you just don't get a job in Business or engineering or tech. Garbage and the trades might be possible...
The pressure on the young people is so high I have known families split up for several years so that the student could get all prep grades and take all of the entry tests to get into the upper two classes. The bottom isn't thought of.
Most of Europe is like that. By 10th you were sidelined or moved into mainstream.
============ Actually 8.1% and rapidly falling, whith a [apparent] real shortage of technical personnel. click on
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NOTE: because of the differences in how "unemployment" is defined and the calculation methods used, this should not be [directly] compared with the US "unemployment" rate.
Can any of our German posters give us a feel of whats happening o the ground?
Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
There is no problem in comparing figures, the last time there was 27% unemployment in Germany was around three quarters of a century ago - round about the same year the USA had 27% unemployment.
I'm wondering how long all those companies that moved to the sunbelt can stay open w/o water. Water we got, they don't call it the rustbelt for nothing.
German jobless rate at new record Unemployment in Germany is at record levels More than 5.2 million Germans were out of work in February, new figures show.
The figure of 5.216 million people, or 12.6% of the working-age population, is the highest jobless rate in Europe's biggest economy since the 1930s.
The news comes as the head of Germany's panel of government economic advisers predicted growth would again stagnate.
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"Now the German government has thoroughly overhauled the infrastructure of East Germany, with the best telecommunications systems available, and brand new motorways and roads, thus paving the way for industry to settle and create jobs here. Unfortunately that has not happened, due to the unions and their petty regulations, and being shackled by onerous laws emanating from Brussels thus putting off all outside investors; Germany needs a Margaret Thatcher to sweep away all the cobwebs and get things moving. We have an unofficial rate of unemployment of around 40% in this region, with no prospect of it getting better - anyone with "get up and go" has got up and gone, to the west or abroad, where the job prospects can only be better. Yes, this country is sick, and the prospect of stalemate in the German parliament means things won't improve in the short term." David Ogilvie-Thomson, Baltic Coast, Germany
Speaking on German TV, Bert Ruerup said the panel's earlier forecast of 1.4% was too optimistic and warned growth would be just 1% in 2005.
At least now we can quantity just how slow Gunner is. Maybe I can make a bet with him on who will win the Super Bowl in 2006 and offer him a double or nothing on 2007?
You have no idea how slow Gunner is. He's owed me $65 for almost 8 years. Last I heard, about a year and half ago, he had a box of stuff all ready to ship that we'd agreed would settle the debt. I'm sure it'll arrive any day now.
Absolutely Fucking Amazing. Are you working part time at the US Treasury? They could do with expertise like that.
Or in engineering speak. I just bored your block Bubba, bang on spec give or take 214%. But that V8 is now a V4, the pistons are a bit wobbly and there is blue smoke out the back and a big rattle from the engine.
Not the first time Ive blown it. Shrug. I was recently reading data on Germany right after the Reunification, and how so many people in the East were unemployed after their economy went sideways with the fall of the USSR and the large numbers of Turks emigres who also padded the unemployment rates. Something about "40% unemployment in some areas"
Now if that was the only mistake I made the day I posted it, Id be tickled shitless. Thats why they put erasers on the end of pencils.
Now you and the other fucktards..yall never make mistakes. Right? Each and every program comes out exactly perfect right out of the box, no crashes or near crashes, no cutting some poor bastard off on the road, no stubbed toes, no busted tooling. Right?
Even the 12.6% you referenced from 2 years ago is pretty good for a country that is trying to assimilate another country that operated with a Centrally Planned Economy for 50 years.
Back to the thread topic: why are they so far ahead of us in solar?
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