DIHK-Έρευνα για την οικονομική ανάπτυξη
Αποτελέσματα της έρευνας του DIHK για την οικονομική ανάπτυξη
Main results
- Companies assess their current business situation slightly positively across all sectors: 30 percent (previously 34 percent) rate the current business as "good." However, the proportion of businesses that rate their situation as "poor" has increased noticeably, from 15 percent to 21 percent. The balance of the situation assessment drops from 19 to nine points. This is well below the long-term average of 21 points. This downturn affects almost the entire spectrum of the economy and all business sizes.
- Business expectations are significantly deteriorating. Over a third of companies (35 percent, up from 23 percent) have negative business expectations for the next twelve months. Only one in eight (13 percent, down from 18 percent) anticipates better business. As a result, the business expectations decline significantly from minus five to minus 22 points.
- Risks and uncertainties are increasing and becoming more diverse. On average, companies mark more than three (3.1) out of a total of eight different business risks. Before the pandemic, the average was 2.4.
- More than half mention energy and raw material prices as the biggest business risks (currently 61 percent, down from 65 percent in early summer), a shortage of skilled workers (58 percent, down from 62 percent), domestic demand (53 percent, up from 46 percent), labor costs (remaining at 53 percent, at a record high), and economic policy conditions (51 percent, up from 43 percent). More than 5,800 companies used the option for free-text responses regarding economic policy conditions. The most frequently mentioned keyword by far is "bureaucracy." About 38 percent of the free-text responses include bureaucracy-related topics, while in the previous survey, it was "only" 35 percent.
- 24 percent of companies (down from 28 percent) plan to make additional investments. Almost a third (31 percent, up from 24 percent) indicate a desire to reduce investments. The balance of investment intentions drops from four to minus seven points.
- Forecast: Given the overall gloomy outlook, the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) expects a 0.5 percent decline in economic output this year. In the next year, the DIHK anticipates stagnation (0.0 percent).