Team
The people behind the ifo Institute offer the very high level of expertise and experience needed to fulfill our research and service mandate.
Far Fewer German Companies Feel Their Survival Is Threatened
Far fewer German companies are fearing for their survival, despite Russia’s attack on Ukraine. This is the finding of an ifo Institute survey. With 7.1 percent of companies feeling their existence threatened, this proportion has almost halved compared to the previous survey in January 2022, when it was 13.7 percent. “However, sectors that have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic still feel threatened. These include the hospitality and event industries, where almost 25 percent of companies are reporting concerns over their survival,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo.
Allemagne : Hausse sensible des prévisions de l'Institut ifo en matière d'exportations
Le regain de confiance est massif parmi les exportateurs allemands. Au mois de mars, les prévisions communiquées par l'industrie à l'Institut ifo ont progressé, passant de 11,9 à 24,9 points, soit le niveau le plus élevé depuis le mois de janvier 2011. Les exportateurs allemands bénéficient d'une conjoncture robuste en Asie et aux États-Unis. Les premiers frémissements d'une reprise se font également sentir dans la zone euro.
ifo Institute: Very Slow Recovery in the Automotive Industry
German carmakers and their suppliers assessed their current business situation better than in August, but the overall situation is still bleak. This is a finding from the ifo Institute’s latest Business Survey. In September, the indicator rose to minus 19.0 points, up from minus 35.9 points in August. It had bottomed out in April at minus 87.0 points. “The situation was catastrophic, then became abysmal. Now it is simply bad. This is the extent of the improvement,” says ifo expert Stefan Sauer.
Allemagne : Effondrement des prévisions en matière d'exportations
Le moral parmi les dirigeants des entreprises allemandes exportatrices est en chute libre. Les prévisions communiquées par l'industrie allemande à l'Institut ifo en matière d'exportations ont dégringolé au mois d'avril de – 19,0 à – 50,0 points. C'est le niveau le plus bas constaté jusqu'ici. L'ampleur du recul enregistré est également sans précédent. Covid-19 impacte sévèrement les marchés à l'exportation.
ifo Institute: Bavaria Continues to Have the Most Short-Time Workers in Germany
Bavaria remains the German state with the most short-time workers, according to exclusive figures from the ifo Institute. The ifo survey reveals that an estimated 17 percent of employees subject to social insurance contributions were on short-time work there in August; the figure for July was 21 percent. The number of short-time workers therefore fell from 1.2 million to 990,000. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, the figure dropped from 19 percent to 16 percent, or from 750,000 to 900,000 people. “Short-time work remains very prevalent in Laender with a large automotive and supplier industry and where metalworking and manufacturers of machinery and equipment are strong,” says ifo labor market expert Sebastian Link.
Strong improvement in ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany
The ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany showed strong improvement in March. The ifo Business Climate Index for the economy in eastern Germany rose from 100.4 to 102.5 points. Both the assessments of the current situation and the business expectations of the survey participants improved noticeably. The downward trend in the business confidence indicator for eastern Germany has thus been interrupted.
Hausse de l’indice ifo du climat des affaires (Avril 2024)
Le moral des dirigeants d’entreprise allemands s’est amélioré. En avril, l’indice ifo du climat des affaires est passé à 89,4 points, contre 87,9 points[1] au mois de mars. Il s’agit de la troisième amélioration consécutive. Les entreprises se déclarent plus satisfaites de la marche de leurs activités et se montrent plus optimistes pour l’avenir. La conjoncture se stabilise, notamment grâce au secteur des services.
Institut ifo : la croissance se ralentit dans le secteur de la construction en Europe
La construction en Europe ne croîtra que d'environ 1 % par an entre 2020 et 2022. « Ce taux représente un ralentissement sensible. Car de 2016 à 2019, la production du secteur de la construction progressait en moyenne de près de 3 % par an dans les 19 pays du groupe Euroconstruct », rappelle Ludwig Dorffmeister, expert de l'Institut ifo.
ifo Business Survey Industry (2022b)
10.7805/ebdc-ibs-ind-2022b
ifo Dresden on Germany’s Organ Donation Day, June 5: Number of Organ Donors Remains Relatively Constant Despite the Coronavirus Pandemic
The organ donation rate in Germany fell only slightly in 2020, the year of the coronavirus. In many other European countries, however, it plummeted. This is the finding of a report published by the ifo Institute’s Dresden Branch to mark Germany’s Organ Donation Day. “Despite the extraordinary strain on hospitals, and especially on intensive care units, the number of organ donors remained relatively constant during the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, albeit at a comparatively low level,” says Selina Schulze Spüntrup, a researcher at the ifo Institute’s Dresden Branch.
Supply Problems Easing in German Retail
Supply problems in German retail have eased considerably. In January, 57.1 percent of retailers complained that they will not receive all the goods they ordered. In December, the figure was 81.6 percent. This is the finding of an ifo Institute survey. “With the end of the Christmas season, the pressure has abated somewhat,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. “Nevertheless, many retailers can’t fulfill every customer request because they’re still short on merchandise.”
ifo World Economic Climate Recovers Slightly
The ifo World Economic Climate has recovered somewhat. In the second quarter, the indicator rose from -13.1 points to -2.4 points, having previously fallen four times in a row. Expectations for the coming months have brightened considerably.
ifo Institute: 75 Years of Economic Research and Policy Advice
The ifo Institute in Munich turns 75 on January 24. It was born from a merger of two institutes: the Information and Research Center for Economic Observation; and the South German Institute for Economic Research, which Ludwig Erhard had founded in 1946. Today, it enjoys an international reputation for providing excellent economic research and policy advice.
Fewer German Companies Plan to Increase Prices
Fewer German companies are planning to raise their prices soon than in the previous month, finds the ifo Institute’s latest survey. For the economy as a whole, the ifo price expectations fell to 40.3 points in December, down from 46.2* points in November. Price expectations fell furthest in manufacturing and construction – from 53.3* points to 42.0 points and from 38.4* points to 28.3 points, respectively. But it is also the case in trade and the service sector that fewer companies are planning to raise their prices. Price expectations here fell from 50.6 points to 42.0 points and from 41.4* points to 38.1 points, respectively. “This means that increases in producer and consumer prices are likely to gradually slow down in the months ahead. Inflation rates will, however, remain high,” says Timo Wollmershäuser, Head of Forecasts at ifo.
Le président de l'Institut ifo, M. Clemens Fuest, siégera au Conseil franco-allemand d'experts économiques
Le président de l'Institut ifo, M. Clemens Fuest, vient d'être nommé membre du Conseil franco-allemand d'experts économiques. Ce groupe d'experts récemment créé sera rattaché, du côté allemand, au ministère fédéral de l'Économie et de l'Énergie. Il se composera de dix experts indépendants qui auront pour fonction d'adresser aux deux gouvernements des recommandations en matière de politique économique susceptibles de favoriser le rapprochement entre les deux pays et d'améliorer la compétitivité des économies française et allemande.
ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany Takes a Considerable Downturn (July 2022)
Sentiment among companies in eastern Germany cooled significantly in July. The ifo Business Climate Index for the entire regional economy fell to 92.1 points, down from 94.1 points in June. The survey participants’ assessments of their current situation declined slightly, and their outlook became noticeably more negative.
Economists Disagree on Germany’s Debt Brake and 2024 Budget
German economists are divided on the country’s federal budget and the debt brake. Of those surveyed, 48 percent are in favor of prioritizing spending cuts in the 2024 budget; 38 percent see an increase in government borrowing as the primary way to inject more money into the 2024 budget. These are findings from the Economists Panel, a survey of economic experts at German universities by the ifo Institute. “There are similar levels of support for the existing debt brake and for a reformed, investment-based version. What respondents agree on is that the debt brake should not be abolished completely,” says ifo President Clemens Fuest. “The respondents’ preference for spending cuts could be a reaction to the expansion of government spending in recent years,” explains ifo researcher Niklas Potrafke.
ifo President: ECB Has Good Reasons for Interest Rate Hike
ifo President Clemens Fuest has praised the interest rate increase by the European Central Bank (ECB). “The reasoning behind the ECB’s interest rate hike is sound. Inflation remains high despite the economic slowdown. The ECB has raised its inflation forecast for 2024, and against this backdrop an interest rate increase is logical,” he said in Munich on Thursday.
L'Institut ifo baisse ses prévisions de croissance pour 2021 à 4,2 %.ile
L'Institut ifo vient de corriger à la baisse ses prévisions conjoncturelles pour l'année prochaine. Ayant d'abord tablé sur 5,1 %, les chercheurs s'attendent désormais à ce que l'économie allemande ne croisse que de 4,2 %. Ils ont relevé par contre leurs prévisions pour 2022 de 1,7 % à 2,5 %. « Le nouveau confinement décrété en Allemagne et dans d'autres pays retardera la reprise économique. La production de biens et de services renouera ainsi avec son niveau d'avant-crise seulement à la fin 2021 », déclare Timo Wollmershäuser, directeur des études conjoncturelles de l'Institut ifo. « Suite au confinement, l'année en cours devrait se terminer sur un nouveau recul du produit intérieur brut ».
Germany’s Remuneration Transparency Act Proves Paper Tiger
Germany's Remuneration Transparency Act has hardly had any impact to date, according to a survey of German personnel managers conducted by the ifo Institute on behalf of Randstad Germany. This is due to the fact that only a few employees have made use of their new right to information.