A wave of industrial job cuts is setting a grim tone in the early stages of Germany\u2019s election campaign, with politicians describing the economic conditions as the most challenging they have ever faced for a federal vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the month since the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u2019s unhappy three-way coalition paved the way for a snap vote in February, some of the country\u2019s biggest employers have announced planned job losses, including 11,000 at steelmaker Thyssenkrupp, 3,800 at Bosch, the world\u2019s largest car parts maker, 2,800 at its rival Schaeffler and 2,900 at Ford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have rarely experienced a context as difficult as the one right now,\u201d said Achim Post, a member of the Bundestag for Scholz\u2019s Social Democratic party (SPD) in North Rhine-Westphalia, a key industrial region that has been hit by job cut announcements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pointing to a string of industrial cities across the country, Post said: \u201cEvery family that works in Duisburg, or in Stuttgart, or Leverkusen\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009is looking at itself and asking: \u2018will I know at Christmas whether I still have a job next year?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p><\/p> German job cuts darken mood of election campaign https:\/\/t.co\/1HDTPHhwoZ<\/a><\/p>— FT Data (@ftdata) December 3, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>