At a joint press conference involving representatives of the wage bargaining partners, Education Minister Ruettgers stressed however that this was no guarantee that everybody would be able to be trained in the job of their dreams. According to Ruettgers, there will be a demand for some 620,000 apprenticeship places this year. The concerted action by the states and the collective wage agreement partners is meant to ensure that especially the circa 140,000 necessary places in eastern Germany will be available. Bankruptcies in eastern Germany on the rise Wiesbaden. The Federal Office of Statistics has announced that the number of bankruptcies in the five new eastern states continues to rise markedly.
Greens call for thorough overhaul of pensions system Bonn.
It was time to consider asking for a contribution to social solidarity by the elder generation as well. This was all the more important as almost all young Germans were facing dim prospects concerning training and employment, Mueller added. Fischer said only a reform of the pensions system would be able to secure the superannuation benefits of today's contributors. Raid on big construction site uncovers massive infringements Oberhausen. The Federal Labour Office today conducted a raid on a major construction site in Oberhausen, uncovering massive infringements by workers and subcontractors.