[vladimir998]

Germans don’t exactly work that much either. They usually retire at about age 55.

[johnnycap]

The problem with Europe is in the article. The categorization that the “adult rate” or the rate of employment for those above the age of 30 is half the rate of the “non-adult” rate or the rate for those below the age of 30 is troubling. I never really considered 18-29 year olds to be something other than adult.

I guess until Europe stops thinking of their 30 year olds as still on school holiday, it will never address its work ethic issues.

[arkady_renko]

Wait. Bob Brinker smugly told me that the Eurozone’s troubles were all well in hand.

[Nervous Tick]

More revealing is a comparison of youth unemployment, now at 10% in Germany. By contrast... "The under-30 unemployment rate in Spain has just hit 44 per cent...

Youth = under 30? That's nuts. I was well into my career at 30. Youths are folks 18 and under living at home, in my book.

Of course, these days there are lots of people in their thirties and even forties living at home sponging off their parents, so I guess that skews the categories.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Uh - the only reason germany is at 7.5% Unemployment is that they use the same type of accounting tricks the WE do to keep unemployment down!

Collect the german version of extended benefits (Hartz IV) - not unemployed!

[paul51]

American influence under the Obama administration has imploded, and Russia, despite its economic and demographic weakness, has moved into the vacuum.

People are so focused on the disaster on the home front that we lose sight of what a failure this administration is across the world