But he was not sure that it goes really thus

In Germany, unemployment fell below the symbolic the 5 millions of job seekers. But it may stay much more close to 5 million as 4.5 million. This social situation is all the more paradoxical that businesses, particularly those of DAX, the index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, which brings together the 30 tenors of industry, trade and the German service sector, cease to make a spectacular profit.

The increase in the gross domestic product, which could reach this year almost 2 instead of the initially expected 1.4, is expected to curb unemployment, at least in the West of the country. But he was not sure that it goes really thus. Just look at a few "carrying" industries mechanical construction, chemistry, automotive, energy to see that even they generate little new jobs.

Overall numbers of the machine tool sector have flirted with the bar of the 910.000 employees in 2002. Last year, despite growth of 4.4, they fell to 862.000, 2,000 people less than the previous year. In six years, due to increased productivity, the turnover of the sector is increased from 120 billion to 151 billion euros last year, with 30,000 employees less. Generally, the creations of posts are almost always that operations abroad.

Social plans

Identical situation in chemistry, one of the major industrial forces of the economic power of the European Union. In six years, this sector saw its turnover of 121 billion to EUR 152 billion while its numbers declined 37,000, reaching no more than 441.000 people last year. Illustration of this evolution: BASF, the giant, is now down 45,600 collaborators in Germany, while they were still 62.320 in 1996.

Same observation in the car, allowing the "made in Germany" to shine a little everywhere in the world. According to statistics of the Federation of the sector, staff still decreased by 0.9 between 2004 and 2005, does more to rise year last to 766.350 people. A decline that is probably not complete because of the social plans announced at DaimlerChrysler, Opel, especially in the Volkswagen Group, which plans to remove at least 20,000 workstations by 2008, in majority in several German institutions. An expert in the sector, Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, estimates that nearly 100,000 jobs are threatened in this area over the next ten years.

In a recent "Energy Summit" which was held in the Chancellery, large energy groups (E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall) are committed to invest almost 70 billion euros by 2012. In part to modernize the facilities existing and in renewable energy. But the leaders of these groups do not provide for post creations. In 1999, the industry employed in Germany 151.000 people. Last year, global workforce had been reduced to 127,000. Only, perhaps, the construction industry and manufacturers of wind turbines will benefit, in terms of jobs, the construction of new power plants and the "boom" of this type of energy.

These four sectoral examples show why, despite a cyclical thinning, German unemployment has much trouble down to more acceptable levels for a public opinion which is not fooled comfortable dividends paid to shareholders of major groups, and this since several years.