Will Germans Disappear Before the Euro?

Wonder why the Euro keeps collapsing? D er Spiegel ‘s German-language website cites a new study showing that by 2025, the number of German workers aged 19 to 24 will fall by nearly 5 million, while the number of workers close to retirement will rise by 1.4 million. The aging pattern is most extreme in the former East Germany, although some Western federal states will be badly affected as well, notably the Saar and the Rhineland-Palatinate. In the worst-hit region, Mecklenberg-Pomerania, the number of young labor market entrants will drop by 55 percent by 2015.

A spokesman for the Berthelsman Foundation, which sponsored the study, said that “it will become increasingly difficult for employers to find a sufficient workforce.” How about finding taxpayers to pick up the tab for Greek, Spanish and Portuguese debt?