An inflexible and costly labour market is often blamed for the eurozone's poor economic performance. But in Germany at least, times are changing. In an appeal to pure free-market economics, two Germans have launched a recruitment website where jobs go to the lowest bidder.
Münster-based Fabian Löw, a 31-year old student, and his co-founder Oliver Heim, are behind www.jobdumping.de. Employers can auction jobs online to workers who undercut one another until the cheapest one wins, while candidates can post their CVs and charge-out rates on the site.
The service discourages what it calls "unrealistic bidding" and suggests that nobody bids less than €3 per hour. Employers can turn down an unqualified candidate.
The site has proved controversial in Germany, but it has still helped to fill around 1,700 vacancies in a range of sectors. Opinion polls suggest that a Herr Schroeder might be logging on to the site following the expected general election in September.