Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Jobs

  • Continental has approved a restructuring plan that can affect 30.000 jobs

    Continental has approved a restructuring plan that can affect 30.000 jobs

    The Supervisory Board of the German car manufacturer Continental has approved a restructuring plan that is expected to affect around 30.000 jobs worldwide.

    On September 1, Continental announced plans to cut costs by more than one billion euros a year by 2023 and expand a restructuring program that could affect up to 30.000 jobs worldwide.

    CEO of Continental, Elmar Degenhart, said the Continental plant in Aachen, western Germany, will be the tenth tire plant in Western Europe to close by 2025.

    This is because, in the last decade, Asian companies have built production capacities in Eastern Europe for about 50 million tires, even though the market has stagnated.

    ”So far we have been able to cope with these developments, but now we have reached the point where the overcapacity in Western Europe is between 13 and 15 million passenger car tires,” said Degenhart for Bloomberg.

    The group’s German operations would be severely hit, with 13.000 jobs being relocated or cut. The Continental Group has approximately 232.000 employees worldwide, of which 59.000 in Germany.

  • More people registered as unemployed in Poland at the end of Q2 2020

    More people registered as unemployed in Poland at the end of Q2 2020

    The number of the unemployed registered in Polish labour offices at the end of June 2020 amounted to 1026.5 thousand persons (including 551.0 thousand women), Statistics Poland latest data show.

    It was higher than the one observed at the end of the first quarter of 2020 by 117.0 thousand persons (12.9%), while compared to the same period of the previous year, it was higher by 149.4 thousand persons (17.0%).

    Compared to the first quarter of 2020, an increase in the number of unemployed persons was observed among the population of men and women respectively by: 57.7 thousand (by 13.8%) and 59.3 thousand (by 12.1%).

    Compared to June 2019, the numbers of unemployed men and women registered in labour offices also increased respectively by: 92.5 thousand (24.2%) and by 56.8 thousand (11.5%).

    Compared to the first quarter of 2020, at the end of June 2020, an increase in the number of the unemployed was observed in all voivodships. The most significant increase was in voivodships: Śląskie (by 21.0%), Małopolskie (by 19.2%), Lubuskie (by 18.6%), Wielkopolskie (by 18.5%) and Dolnośląskie (by 16.1%).

  • The number of unemployed people in Germany fell in September

    The number of unemployed people in Germany fell in September

    The number of unemployed people in Germany fell in September for the third month in a row, according to data released Wednesday by the Federal Bureau of Labor.

    The number of jobseekers fell by 8.000 this month to 2.907 million, while the unemployment rate in Germany fell to 6.3% from 6.4% in August.

    The Federal Labor Office reported that the number of people included in the ”Kurzarbeit” scheme – reduced working hours – fell to 4.2 million in July, from a peak of almost six million in April during the Covid-19 crisis.

  • Average gross salaries and wages in Serbia at 83.016 RSD in July 2020

    Average gross salaries and wages in Serbia at 83.016 RSD in July 2020

    Average gross salaries and wages calculated for July 2020 in Serbia amounted to 83.016 RSD, while average net salaries and wages amounted to 60.029 RSD.

    Increase of gross salaries and wages in the period January – July 2020, relative to the same period last year amounted to 9.5% in nominal terms, i.e. 7.9% in real terms.

    Simultaneously, net salaries and wages increased by 9.3% in nominal terms and by 7.7% in real terms.

    Compared with the same month last year, average gross salaries and wages for July 2020 increased by 9.2% in nominal terms and by 7.1% in real terms, while average net salaries and wages increased by 9.1% in nominal terms and by 7.0% in real terms.

    Median net salaries and wages for July 2020 amounted to 45 736 RSD, meaning that 50% of employees realised wages and salaries up to the mentioned amount.

  • One third of Westbahn jobs are in danger to be cut

    One third of Westbahn jobs are in danger to be cut

    At the private Austrian railway company Westbahn, 100 of the 300 jobs appear to be in danger because of the corona crisis, Heute says.

    This will happen if the Ministry of Transport does not provide further financial assistance after the end of the emergency allocation. Due to low demand, the loss of 100 jobs is imminent.

    The information appears in an emotional email sent to staff by Westbahn CEO Erich Forster. He outlined the dramatic situation of the company.

    Westbahn runs the Vienna-Salzburg line a connection where there is usually no financial state support, even for the state railways (ÖBB).

    However, due to the coronavirus crisis, an emergency grant was avaible for this route, but it will expire on 7 October. 

  • 7.000 new jobs in the Greek food retail trade this year

    7.000 new jobs in the Greek food retail trade this year

    Employment grew by 3.2% in the Greek food retail trade in the first half of 2020. There were registered 7.000 new jobs in 2020 and the total number of workers in the food retail trade reached 215.000.

    In 2020, based on a six months data, a significant effect of the pandemic is recorded.

    In particular, in relation to the food retail trade, there was an increase of 3.2% in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019, while the rest of the retail trade recorded a decrease of -0.4% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same half of 2019.

    In the period 2000-2020 the food retail trade shows an increase in employment of 50.5%, as opposed to the rest of the retail trade which shows a decrease of -8.5%.

    Data was gathered by The Institute for Consumer Goods Retail Research (IEKKA).

  • Poland: Average gross wages and salaries up by 4.1% in August 2020

    Poland: Average gross wages and salaries up by 4.1% in August 2020

    In August 2020, average gross wages and salaries were higher by 4.1% year-on-year and amounted to 5337.65 PLN (around EUR 1.200).

    In August this year, compared to July this year, a decrease in average gross wages and salaries in enterprise sector was noted by Statistics Poland.

    It was caused among others by continuation of the payment of bonuses, quarterly, annual and jubilee awards and retirement severance pays (which beside the base remuneration are also included as components of wages and salaries) in the previous month.

    The figures are for companies with more than nine employees.

  • Unemployment rate in Greece at 18.3% for June 2020

    Unemployment rate in Greece at 18.3% for June 2020

    The unemployment rate in Greece in June 2020 was 18.3% compared to the downward revised 17.1% in June 2019 and to the upward revised 17.3% in May 2020.

    The number of employed in June 2020 amounted to 3.744.630 persons. The number of unemployed amounted to 836,637 while the number of inactive amounted to 3.312.753.

    The number of employed persons decreased by 174.217 persons compared with June 2019 (a 4.4% rate of decrease) and increased by 11.640 persons compared with May 2020 (a 0.3% rate of increase).

    The number of unemployed persons increased by 27.091 persons compared with June 2019 (a 3.3% rate of increase) and by 58.146 persons compared with May 2020 (a 7.5% rate of increase).

    The number of inactive persons, i.e., persons that neither work nor look for a job, increased by 108.669 persons compared with June 2019 (a 3.4% rate of increase) and decreased by 2.265 persons compared with May 2020 (a 2.1% rate of decrease).

  • MAN to cut around 9.500 jobs in Austria and Germany

    MAN to cut around 9.500 jobs in Austria and Germany

    German truck and bus manufacturer MAN, controlled by Volkswagen, announced that it could lay off up to 9,500 employees in Austria and Germany as part of its cost-cutting program amid reduced sales following the coronavirus pandemic (COVID -19).

    This measure is intended to help the company achieve an 8% profitability in sales in 2023, said MAN, which belongs to the Traton group within Volkswagen.

    According to the cost reduction plan, MAN’s development and production departments will be reorganized and the production units in Steyr, Austria, Plauen and Wittlich in Germany could be closed.

    The company aims a cost cut of 1.8 billion euros ($ 2.1 billion) by 2023.

  • Senior retail expert joins Fashion House Group in Romania

    Senior retail expert joins Fashion House Group in Romania

    Fashion House Group, has appointed retail veteran Cornelia Nicolae to the position of Retail Operations Director in Bucharest.

    In the newly created role, Cornelia will be responsible for launching the Group’s new flagship development, its second in Bucharest, while continuing to drive footfall and sales at its established outlet centre in the capital.

    With 24 years of fashion retail experience, Cornelia joins Fashion House Group from Italian fashion brand Stefanel.

    As Retail Sales Manager for Eastern Europe, she managed the retailer’s operations in Romania, Turkey, Germany, Austria and Poland, overseeing significant revenue growth across 59 direct stores, seven outlets and 350 people.

    With the opening of Fashion House outlet centre Bucharest, Militari in December 2008, the Group not only launched its first outlet venture in Romania, but also a new concept of locating outlet centres within larger retail parks in Central and Eastern Europe.

    The 15,500 sq. m outlet centre boasts 50 store units, with famous brand tenants, with a third phase opening in November 2020 and a final phase due to be unveiled in 2021.

    The new retail operations director, Fashion House Group, Romania, Cornelia Nicolae said: “I am looking forward to working with such a team of knowledgeable, dedicated and respected people that have created an incredible company from the ground up.”

    As well its two outlet centres in Romania, Fashion House Group also owns and manages two outlet centres in Russia, one in Moscow and the other in St. Petersburg. 

  • Czech unemployment rate reached 2.7% in July

    Czech unemployment rate reached 2.7% in July

    The general unemployment rate of the aged 15–64 years reached 2.7% in July 2020 and increased by 0.7 p.p., year-on-year.

    The male unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, attained 2.4%; the female unemployment rate reached 3.2%.

    The employment rate of the aged 15–64 years reached 74.2% in July 2020 and decreased by 1.0 percentage point (p.p.) compared to that in July 2019.

    The male employment rate was 81.2%; the female employment rate was 67.0%, both seasonally adjusted.

    The employment rate of persons aged 15–29 years, seasonally adjusted, was 45.3%, in the age group 30–49 years it attained 87.5%, and in the age group 50–64 years it got to 76.3%.

  • Euro area unemployment registered a slight increase and sits at 7.9%

    Euro area unemployment registered a slight increase and sits at 7.9%

    In July 2020 the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9%, up from 7.7% in June 2020.

    The EU unemployment rate was 7.2% in July 2020, up from 7.1% in June 2020, shows Eurostat.

    Eurostat estimates that 15.184 million men and women in the EU, of whom 12.793 million in the euro area, were unemployed in July 2020.

    Compared with June 2020, the number of persons unemployed increased by 336.000 in the EU and by 344.000 in the euro area.

    The unemployment rate for women was 7.5% in the EU, up from 7.3% in June 2020. The unemployment rate for men was 7.0% in July 2020, up from 6.8% in June 2020.

    In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women increased from 8.0% in June 2020 to 8.3% in July 2020 while it increased from 7.5% to 7.6% for men.