Good news for 2022: The positive review of the year

Finally savings again

fost a decade has passed since bank after bank abandoned the good old custom of paying positive interest to savers on savings accounts. The year 2022 should now go down in history, among other things, as the year in which savings interest came back – albeit accompanied by high inflation. On average, overnight interest rates rose from practically 0 percent (and negative values ​​for large deposits) to 0.85 percent.

More money for geriatric nurses

It is often said that care should be paid better. This is exactly what is happening in geriatric care: since the beginning of September, all nursing homes in Germany have had to pay their nursing staff the standard wage or a local fee. The AOK has just determined what that means in numbers: The average hourly wage for nurses with three years of training is therefore 23.38 euros, for auxiliary staff 17.03 euros.

Germany at Tesla pace

It took a little longer than a year and a half. But in March 2022 the time had come: The factory of the American electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide was officially opened. Tesla built them during the approval process. This, in turn, was carried out as quickly as possible under pressure from the state government. Now the plant with more than 7000 employees is Brandenburg’s largest private employer.

More employees than ever before

The looming recession has not yet resulted in companies laying off large numbers of employees. In October, the number of people employed in Germany even reached a record high of 45.7 million. This is also due to the fact that skilled workers are desperately needed in many areas. The labor market in the euro area as a whole is also proving to be robust: the unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent in October – the lowest level since the currency area was founded. For comparison: In the same month last year, the rate was still 7.3 percent.

Ukrainian tech industry is growing

Before the war broke out, Ukraine was considered a booming location for tech companies. Despite the war, that has not changed. The industry even grew by 16 percent in the first 8 months of the year compared to the previous year. One start-up has even become a unicorn in the midst of the war, i.e. is valued at more than a billion dollars: Unstoppable Domains builds uncensorable websites using blockchain technology.

Porsche makes you want to go to the stock market

If you only see the stock exchange as a place for gamblers, detached from reality, beware: Porsche’s IPO at the end of September brought the owner VW more than 9 billion euros in the coffers for investments in electric and autonomous driving. Porsche became a bit more independent again. And investors can now invest in a world-class luxury brand on the German stock market.

The pandemic is over

Christian Drosten was the nation’s corona explainer. When the virus spread in Germany, people hung on the every word of the virologist, who explained it in understandable language. Drosten was one of those who would rather have too much caution than too little. It is all the more important when he says: “We are experiencing the first endemic wave of SARS-CoV-2 this winter, and in my opinion the pandemic is over.”

health in Africa

People in Africa stay healthy much longer than they used to. The number of years of healthy life that can be expected at birth there is now 56 years, compared with 46 years at the turn of the millennium, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The main reason for this is the improved access to basic medical care.