Awwal 23, 1432 H/Feb 26, 2011, SPA -- Almost three quarters of German employees fear the May 1 opening of Germany's labour market to the eight countries that joined the European Union in 2004, according to a survey published Saturday. This fear was particularly pronounced in the former East German states, Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported, quoting research by GfK marketing institute. From May 1, citizens in the eight EU member states that joined in 2004 will have the right to work in Germany and Austria, the last EU countries to lift such restrictions, dpa reported. The Nuremberg-based researchers found that 73 per cent of Germans feared the labour market freedom would lead to job losses - a figure that rose to 79 per cent in former East Germany, where employment is more scarce. Of the 1,000 people asked, 43 per cent feared that skilled labourers would also be under threat. "The great fear that jobs will be lost is spread throughout society and through all social classes," said Klaus Hilbinger of GfK, who oversaw the research. The ten countries which joined the EU on May 1, 2004, are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
