Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in GermanyAs a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Expertise
As a correspondent in Berlin for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business world and labour market. My areas of interest include co-management, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Most read articles by Thomas Schnee
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
21 January 2026
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
Germany: government seeks to facilitate immigration of skilled Indian workers
During a visit to India earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the strategic importance of attracting Indian workers to Germany, signing a series of cooperation agreements...
15 January 2026
Germany: Chancellor prepares ground for working time law reform
Since mid-January 2026, senior figures in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reopened debate over Germany’s working time legislation. The party’s...
26 January 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: pensioners in work already common practice, study shows
As the German government steps up measures to encourage people to stay in work beyond the legal retirement age, a new study by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) – an independent...
6 November 2025
Germany: minimum wage to rise sharply in 2026
On 29 October, the German cabinet adopted the minimum wage hike proposed by the country’s independent minimum wage commission. The minimum wage will rise from €12.82 to €13.90...
- HR
- News brief
30 October 2025
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...
28 October 2025
Germany: EU pay transparency directive to force companies to ‘get tough’
Germany introduced a pay transparency law in 2017, meaning companies are already somewhat familiar with the issue. However, the broader scope and stricter requirements of the EU directive, the...
24 October 2025
Germany: study shows sharp rise in absenteeism, partly due to more systematic reporting
Germany’s largest public health insurer, AOK, has reported a new record for workplace absenteeism in its 2025 report. The fund, which covers 27 million members, recorded 228 cases of illness...
- HR
- News brief
22 October 2025
Germany: ‘active retirement’ law adopted to encourage seniors to remain in the workforce
On 15 October, Germany’s cabinet approved draft legislation on ‘active retirement‘, which is expected to pass swiftly through Parliament. The bill would allow people who continue...
20 October 2025
Switzerland: National Council relaxes remote work rules and introduces right to disconnect
Swiss federal lawmakers have voted by a wide margin to extend the framework governing remote working, aiming to "better reflect the opportunities offered by digitalisation" and promote a healthier...
17 October 2025
Austria: Social Affairs Committee green-lights improved redundancy conditions for self-employed workers
On 8 October 2025, the Social Affairs Committee of the Austrian National Council, the country’s lower house of parliament, approved new redundancy rules for self-employed workers, paving the...
- HR
- News brief
14 October 2025
Germany: AI’s arrival in businesses shows promise but remains slow and uneven
Artificial intelligence recently caused plans to cut jobs in German companies. However, several studies point to its use being perceived as promising for productivity but slow to take hold in an...
3 October 2025
Germany: Adidas ceases to apply industry collective agreements as of 1 September
In August, the Federal Association of the German Footwear and Leather Goods Industry (HDS/L) informed the IG-BCE trade union – for the construction, chemicals and energy sectors – that sportswear...
26 September 2025
Austria: rapid collective agreement struck amid crisis in metalworking industry
While conditions in Austria’s metalworking sector are not yet critical, the industry is facing a trend of job losses, declining orders and stagnation. In response to the crisis, the social...
23 September 2025
Austria: social affairs minister proposes quotas for hiring senior citizens
On 21 September, Austria’s social affairs minister Korinna Schumann, of the Social Democratic Party, proposed on public broadcaster ORF the introduction of a quota system for workers over...
22 September 2025
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
2026 TRENDS — Social dialogue, a major challenge in the deployment of AI in companies
mind RH is analysing the trends that will shape 2026. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a force that goes far beyond efficiency gains and productivity improvements. It is reshaping tasks...
4 February 2026
The major trends of 2026
New regulations coming into force, economic uncertainty, evolving skills requirements… More than ever, the HR function will play a strategic role within organizations in 2026. mind HR...
3 February 2026
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules
Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.
29 January 2026
2
2026 TRENDS – Pay transparency becomes a reality for European companies
mind RH is taking a look at the trends that will shape 2026. Many countries remain behind schedule in transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, leaving companies in a state of uncertainty as...
27 January 2026
3
TRENDS IN 2026 — Reducing workplace absence at all costs: a major challenge for Europe
Workplace absence is on the rise across Europe, particularly among women, older employees and, since the Covid-19 pandemic, young people under the age of 30. Faced with this growing problem, some...
14 January 2026
4
Vincent Lecerf (Orange): “Equality and diversity are competitive advantages for us”
Following the signing of a new agreement on professional equality and diversity in December, the chief HR officer of French multinational telecommunications corporation Orange Group, Vincent...
13 January 2026
5
France: transposition of the pay transparency directive takes shape
The transposition of the European directive on pay transparency into French law is entering a decisive phase. The Minister of Labour, Jean-Pierre Farandou, wants to present the bill to Parliament...
21 January 2026
6
France: ‘bonus-malus’ system central to talks over short-term contracts
French social partners opened talks on 28 January 2026 on the regulation of short-term contracts, marking the start of a negotiating process set to continue with three further meetings in March...
29 January 2026