One of the most important employers in Thuringia is worried about business development in the coming months: 95 percent of the craft businesses expect things to get worse, according to an economic survey.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - Delivery bottlenecks, exploding energy and raw material prices and a shortage of skilled workers are worrying the Thuringian trade. "The trades continue to operate in crisis mode. The economic situation is worrying," said the President of the Thuringian Crafts Day, Stefan Lobenstein, on Monday in Erfurt. The price explosion would bring some companies to their knees and cause one of the most stable pillars of Thuringia's economy to falter. The business climate is as bad as it was last in 2005, according to an economic survey in the chamber district of Erfurt.
Alongside industry, the skilled trades are the largest employers in Thuringia - almost 150,000 people are employed in almost 30,000 companies.
According to Lobenstein, the danger of company closures combined with the loss of training positions and jobs is very real at the moment. There are a large number of emergency calls during counseling sessions. "Craftsmen no longer know how to pay the high bills. They are seriously faced with the question of giving up their business - often their life's work - and filing for bankruptcy." Lobenstein called on federal and state politicians to act much more decisively in order to counteract the rising prices and thus the increasing burden on companies.
According to an economic survey in the Chamber of Commerce in Erfurt, around 95 percent of companies only expect satisfactory to poor business development in the coming months. The developments on the procurement market, the ongoing supply chain problems and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine caused uncertainty. The business climate indicator has again fallen significantly compared to spring. However, more than three quarters of the companies in almost all trades would rate their current business situation as good to satisfactory.
The shortage of skilled workers continues to be a problem for many craft businesses. According to the chamber, however, he ensures that the number of employees remains stable - "the companies are sticking to their skilled workers," says the economic report. Compared to autumn 2021, however, job growth would decline.
The companies evaluated the sales development to date differently. The decline was most pronounced in companies in the food industry, at minus 57 percent. The healthcare trades and personal service providers such as hairdressers also recorded significant declines, while the main construction trades remained almost stable (minus 0.4 percent). According to the chamber, compared to autumn 2021, almost twice as many companies reported falling orders and the willingness to invest had fallen.
