The persistent economic crisis has the German industry In a year, more than 100,000 jobs cost. The hardest hit the car industry, one shows one analysis
of the auditing and consulting company EY. There alone around 45,400 jobs were dismantled there.
At the end of the first quarter, the German industry employed 5.46 million people – 1.8 percent or 101,000 fewer than a year earlier, the study said on data from the Federal Statistical Office. Since the pre-Corona year 2019, the number of employees ultimately dropped by 217,000, a decline of 3.8 percent. In 2018 there was still a record with around 5.7 million industrial workers.
Industrial companies are under pressure, says Jan Brorhilker, Managing Partner at EY. While demand is weakening in Europe and the customs dispute with the USA questions export to the world’s largest economy, aggressive competitors made up for aggressive competitors China the German industrial group price pressure. “At the same time, companies are fighting with high costs – for example for energy and personnel,” says Brorhilker.
Reduction of another 70,000 jobs expected
The turnover of German industry had decreased slightly after a break -in 2024 at the beginning of the year. An end to the job cut has not yet been in sight, says Brorhilker. He expects at least 70,000 other industrial jobs until the end of the year. Companies have initiated savings programs, especially in mechanical and autobau.
Almost 6 percent of the jobs were lost in the car industry alone, which is fighting with sales, competition from China and the change to e-mobility. Employment fell to around 734,000 people at the end of March. With over 4 percent each, employment also decreased significantly in metal production and textile industry. However, hardly any jobs fell away in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry (-0.3 percent).
Industrial employment grown in the long term
The crisis of German industry has long since had a debate about the location Germany Fared – critics speak of de -industrialization. In long -term comparison, however, employment in industry has grown: at the end of 2024, according to the Federal Statistical Office, it was 3.5 percent or 185,000 people higher than in 2014.
Ey manager Brorhilker says: “The industrial location Germany has often been dead-and has repeatedly proven to be remarkably resistant thanks to a very strong substance.” However, the conditions would have to improve: in addition to lower costs and less bureaucracy, it is necessary to strengthen internal demand in order to make the economy less export -dependent. Here the Federal Government’s billion-dollar investment package can give impulses.
The association of the automotive industry (VDA) also sees politics as a duty. The pressure to act is high, because in recent years the competitiveness of Germany has been eroded, says VDA President Hildegard Müller (57). “Competitiveness and location attractiveness must therefore be the guiding principle of the new federal government.” These factors would decide where and to what extent it would be invested and thus also where jobs arise.