Information overload
The government’s plan to put ‘Covid wardens’ on the streets to enforce the new rule against more than six people meeting in public has been likened to the practice of the East German Stasi relying on mass informants. How many East Germans worked on behalf of the Stasi?
— According to historian Helmut Mueller-Enbergs, 620,000 Germans acted as informers during the 51-year history of East Germany, including 12,000 West Germans.
— When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, 189,000 East Germans were Stasi informants, just over 1 per cent of its 16 million population, and one in 20 Communist party members.
Back in business?
In which sectors is the jobs market recovering most strongly? Increase/decrease in vacancies between April-June and June-August:
Transport and storage +66.6%
Accommodation and food service +35.9%
Retail +27%
Motor trade + 22.2%
Human health and social work +18.2%
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