Germany has near record-low unemployment and a locomotive-strong economy, which leaves Frieder Beckmann with a question: Why can he only get a job that pays $2 an hour?
It is the kind of question that is also being voiced by other Germans, who say ordinary people have benefited little as the country has prospered, despite all the rosy headlines about its economic miracle.
The complaints have put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has touted her economic stewardship in a campaign that will decide whether the German leader, who took office in 2005, will serve a third four-year term. In their decision, voters will shape the direction of German-led crisis efforts across Europe.