One-euro Jobs Appeal to Unemployed

Germany's long-termed unemployed are taking an increased interest in low-paying jobs. A survey in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper showed that the willingness to take on the otherwise undesirable jobs, which often pay far below the average hourly rate, is in direct relation to the government's reform of unemployment benefits, which drastically cuts pay-outs to long-term jobless. According to the survey of leading trade groups in agriculture, gastronomy and retail, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of people applying for low-paying jobs. Gerd Sonnleitner, head of the German Farmer's Association, told the paper that his organization had registered a jump in the number of Germans willing to help out as pickers during harvest time. He said that in the past, before the reforms, it had been very difficult to find Germans willing to do field work, which pays about €5.50 ($6.70) an hour.