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
Germany: Employers’ representatives seek to limit the rights of works councils
The Employers' Federation of German Employers' Associations (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände - BDA) published a report at the end of September in which it proposes a...
8 October 2026
Is a global wage freeze at Volkswagen possible?
The existence of an option to implement a global wage freeze until 2030 has been confirmed by the management of the German group Volkswagen, which nevertheless provides no details and refers to...
20 October 2026
Germany: a negotiation timetable and the prospect of industrial action at Volkswagen
The news. On 23 October, the German carmaker Volkswagen and the trade union IG Metall announced the opening of negotiations on wages, the new cost-cutting programme and job cuts. They will take...
27 October 2026
Germany: non-EU recruitment remains marginal despite skilled immigration reform
The news. Nearly a year and a half after the entry into force of the “Skilled Immigration Development Act”, only 4% of businesses have recruited at least one employee directly from a...
28 October 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
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
Germany: IG Metall-Tesla conflict intensifies over policy to combat absenteeism
The management at Tesla's German Gigafactory is increasing pressure on its employees amid an exceptionally high rate of absenteeism. It is doing so with the support of 'Faction 23', a majority...
19 September 2025
Germany: will the upcoming ‘active retirement’ scheme be a financial drain with little impact on the pool of skilled labour?
Carsten Linnemann, general secretary of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed once again in mid-August the governing parties’ intention to introduce two new schemes...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
15 September 2025
Germany: Polish employees at Tesla factory get organised
Polish employees at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin announced at the end of August their intention to present their own list for the forthcoming works council elections...
9 September 2025
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
UK: government promises human rights due diligence bill
The news. On 4 November, the government promised, through Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds before the House of Lords, the statutory introduction of human rights due diligence in the UK. It...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
5 November 2026
UK: new protection measures against “fire and rehire” postponed to March 2027
On 22 October, the UK government announced the postponement of the coming into force of measures aimed at restricting "fire and rehire" and "redundancy and re-employment", provided for under the...
5 November 2026
EU: several social texts promised for 2027
The news. On 4 November, the European Commission presented its work programme for 2027. While the focus is once again on simplification, several social texts have been announced. The European...
4 November 2026
France: a bill by the end of the year to transpose the European directive on platform workers
The qualified experts appointed by the French government in the framework of transposing the Directive on Platform Workers submitted their report on 2 November. It paves the way for a bill by the...
4 November 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
British bank Barclays cuts 5,000 jobs to invest in AI
Banking group Barclays has announced the cutting of 5% of its global workforce by the end of the year. Beyond disappointing quarterly results, Barclays primarily intends to free up the funds...
28 October 2026
2
Germany: non-EU recruitment remains marginal despite skilled immigration reform
The news. Nearly a year and a half after the entry into force of the “Skilled Immigration Development Act”, only 4% of businesses have recruited at least one employee directly from a...
28 October 2026
3
EU: several social texts promised for 2027
The news. On 4 November, the European Commission presented its work programme for 2027. While the focus is once again on simplification, several social texts have been announced. The European...
4 November 2026