The paper referred to a parliamentary inquiry by the socialist Left party which found that the number of full-time workers dropped by 1.4 million, or six percent, between 1999 and 2008
Meanwhile the number of part-time jobs rose by 1.3 million, or 36 percent, the paper said.
More workers are also being forced to work two jobs, the inquiry found, citing an increase of 1.8 million such workers between 2002 and 2007. Meanwhile many workers are forced to receive government benefits because they can’t make ends meet with their paychecks, the paper said.
“Hartz IV welfare and temporary employment have created a landslide when it comes to regular employment positions,” Left party job market expert Sabine Zimmermann told the paper.
She claimed the new government coalition, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), is forcing “millions of people into cheap jobs and poverty.”
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