WORLD IN BRIEF : EAST GERMANY : First of the Jobless Register for Benefits
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Several thousand East Germans applied for the first benefits their government has ever given the unemployed, whose ranks may swell dramatically as the nation moves toward capitalism. At the moment, East Germany has a severe labor shortage because skilled workers continue to leave for West Germany. But industrial production has slowed, and the nation is threatened with financial collapse. Economists say more competitive Western methods will force many East German factories to close or lay off employees.
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