Porsche to lay off most staff at battery unit, says union
Porsche's battery-making business will lay off most of it workforce, a union representative told AFP on Thursday, in the latest blow to Europe's efforts to muscle in on electric cars.
About 200 people would be let go at the Cellforce Group subsidiary at the site in Kirchentellinsfurt, Tübingen, IG Metall spokesman Kai Lamparter said, out of 286 employees in total.
"The authorities have been officially notified," Lamparter said. "It can be assumed that people will be given their notices on Monday."
Cellforce did not respond to AFP's request for comment and a Porsche spokeswoman said that she would not comment on reports of layoffs.
Batteries, usually the single most expensive part of an electric car, have become a key battleground for carmakers and the wider automotive sector.
But European firms have struggled to gain a foothold in the face of Chinese battery behemoths like CATL and BYD, fuelling fears for the long-term future of the continent's car industry.
Porsche said in April that it would abandon plans to ramp up battery-production at Cellforce, citing slower than expected demand for electric vehicles.
The Stuttgart-based sports car maker itself announced 1,900 job cuts in February before warning employees in July that its business model "no longer works in its current form" amid fierce competition in key market China.
READ ALSO: 'More layoffs' - How Germany's car industry crisis will hit the labour market
Demand for 'Kita' spaces remains high
The demand for childcare remains high in Germany, despite declining birth rates.
While 36.4 percent of all children under the age of three attended day-care in 2023, the figure rose to 37.4 percent in 2024, according to an analysis published by the Ministry for Family Affairs this week.
For children aged three to school age, the childcare rate rose from 91.3 percent to 91.6 percent last year. At the same time, the number of births in Germany declined.
However, according to the analysis, there are still significant gaps between the childcare available and the actual needs of parents.
Almost all parents – nearly 98 percent – want Kita care for youngsters aged between three and six. However, only 91.6 percent actually have a place secured. This is according to data from the German Youth Institute (DJI), which the ministry used for its analysis.
The gap is even wider for children under the age of three. Just over half – 52 percent – of parents want daycare, but 14.6 percent have not managed to snag a place.
Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) said action was needed.
"Parents need day-care centres as reliable partners,” said Prien. She said she was committed to “further expanding, modernising, and maintaining day-care facilities".
Police officer shot and killed following robbery in Saarland
Investigations are underway into the circumstances, following the fatal shooting of a police officer in Saarland.
A policeman was shot dead on Thursday evening during an operation in Völklingen after a robbery at a gas station.
The alleged perpetrator was also shot, but not killed, and arrested.
The police spokesman was unable to provide any information on the identity of the man or his motive as of Friday morning.
The policeman had pursued the suspected robber on foot together with a colleague from the scene of the robbery. According to the police, there was a scuffle in which the fugitive snatched the service weapon from one of the officers and shot him several times.
The alleged perpetrator was hit in the ensuing shootout. He initially fled on foot, but was arrested shortly afterwards and then taken to a hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening.
For the 34 year old policeman who was hit, help came too late.
The city of Völklingen has around 40,000 inhabitants and is one of the larger cities in Saarland. It is best known for the World Heritage Site Völklingen Ironworks, a former ironworks.
Germany's housing shortage increasingly affecting employed people
Homelessness charities are warning of an alarming trend of people in Germany struggling to find affordable homes – even when they have an income.
A report by the Federal Working Group on Homelessness (BAGW) states that 13 percent of clients receiving emergency housing assistance are in employment.
This is an increase of almost two percentage points compared to 2015.
The group also said the continuing high proportion of families receiving emergency housing assistance was worrying. A total of 11 percent of those who had registered for help had at least one child in their household.
According to the report, people without German citizenship are particularly affected by the housing shortage. The report found that 38 percent of clients did not have German citizenship – a record high compared to previous years.
READ ALSO: 'Always be vigilant' - Expert tips for finding an apartment in Berlin
Calls for companies to cut back on paid sick leave
Researchers at the employer-friendly German Economic Institute (IW Cologne) have spoken out in favour of restrictions on continued salary payments in the event of illness.
"In order to relieve the burden on companies, it is urgently necessary to reduce these costs," according to a report by the institute.
Jochen Pimpertz, tax and social expert at the IW suggested cutting back on sick pay for employees during the first days of illness. One possibility would be a period of waiting when no salary is paid before the sick pay kicks in.
"Salary payments would be suspended for a few days at the beginning of an illness," he said. Alternatively, waiting periods could be defined during which the salary would be paid at a reduced level, said Pimpertz.
Pimpertz points out that continued salary payments in cases of illness have more than doubled since 2010. "Employers had to pay around €82 billion for sick employees in 2024," he said.
However, the Institute for Macroeconomics and Economic Research (IMK) of the trade union-affiliated Hans Böckler Foundation, said this argument was misleading. For instance, employment has risen significantly and wages have risen. Meanwhile, today's workers are older on average due to demographic changes.
The IMK says it's more appropriate to consider the share of continued wage payments in the event of illness in relation to total gross wages. According to IMK calculations, the ratio was 3.4 percent in 2010 and rose to 4.2 percent by 2024. Furthermore, there has been little change since 2013.
READ ALSO: Why German business leaders want to slash paid sick leave for employees
Gamescom in Cologne: Microsoft re-joins handheld gaming fight against Nintendo's Switch
The record launch in June for the Nintendo Switch 2, a game console that can be played at home or on the go, heralds a new portable race that Microsoft aims to win with a handheld version of its Xbox.
Selling itself as the option for discerning, hardcore gamers, Microsoft's Xbox ROG Ally console is available to try for the hundreds of thousands of visitors at the Gamescom trade show in Cologne, Germany.
The US tech giant said the devices would go on sale from October 16th, but has yet to reveal the price.
Born of a partnership with Taiwanese hardware heavyweight Asus, the handheld device includes a central screen with two side grips sporting the same array of joysticks, triggers and buttons as a familiar Xbox controller.
"We're really designing and building around an entire ecosystem of devices, to allow people to play where they want, how they want," Jason Ronald, the Microsoft vice president who heads up console development, told reporters.
Microsoft's console sales have declined and its Game Pass subscription service has yet to convince large numbers of players, pushing the world's biggest games publisher to seek new sources of growth.
With reporting by AFP
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