Team
The people behind the ifo Institute offer the very high level of expertise and experience needed to fulfill our research and service mandate.
Make Alternatives to Russian Gas Available
ifo President Clemens Fuest has called for the establishment of alternatives to Russian gas. “We need parallel structures in place to quickly and affordably suspend gas imports from Russia should future crises make this a necessity,” he writes in an article for ifo Schnelldienst.
ifo Institute: Decline in Short-Time Work Is Slowing Down in Germany
The rate of decline in short-time work in Germany was much slower in October than in the previous months. According to exclusive ifo Institute estimates and calculations, the number of employees affected fell only by around 450,000 to just under 3.3 million. Previously, the decline was around one million people per month. This means 10 percent of employees subject to social insurance contributions are still on short-time work in October, following 11 percent in September. “Short-time work is proving particularly persistent in industry, where it still affects 19 percent of employees or 1.3 million people,” says ifo labor market expert Sebastian Link.
ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany: On Track for Recovery (June 2020)
In June 2020, there were stronger signs of recovery in the eastern German economy following the major slump in spring. The ifo Business Climate Index for the entire regional economy in eastern Germany jumped from 81.7 to 88.6 points. This was mainly attributable to the continuation of the strong upward trend in the survey participants’ expectations that began in the previous month. Meanwhile, assessments of the current situation by the eastern German survey participants are also on their way up again.
ifo Economic Forecast for Eastern Germany and Saxony Summer 2023: Development of the Economy Split
The economy in eastern Germany and Saxony, like that in Germany as a whole, entered a weak phase at the turn of 2022–2023. Eastern Germany’s economic output in 2023 is likely to be 0.4% below the previous year’s level; in Saxony, the ifo Institute expects GDP to contract by 0.2% (Germany: −0.4%). This is despite a trend toward recovery over the further course of the year. Next year, economic output in those regions will grow again slightly by 1.3 and 1.2%, respectively (Germany: +1.5%).
ifo Business Survey Trade (2017b)
10.7805/ebdc-ibs-tra-2017b
Commercial Building Construction in Germany Experiencing an Order Shortage
The lack of orders in Germany among companies in the commercial building construction sector has increased slightly. The share of companies reporting too few orders rose from 45.2% in May to 46.3% in June, according to ifo Institute surveys. “Official incoming orders for new commercial construction projects fell from 2021 to 2023 by a good 20% in real terms,” writes ifo construction expert Ludwig Dorffmeister in ifo Schnelldienst. “For 2024, we expect the willingness of companies to invest to remain at a low level due to unfavorable economic conditions.”
ifo Export Expectations Fall (December 2021)
Sentiment in the German export industry has deteriorated. The ifo Export Expectations fell to 12.1 points in December, down from 15.8 points in November. Nevertheless, exports will probably increase in the first quarter of 2022, albeit at a slower pace.
ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany Rises Once More (February 2021)
Sentiment among companies in eastern Germany improved markedly in February. The ifo Business Climate Index for the entire regional economy rose to 90.4 points from 88.9 points in January. The survey participants’ assessments of the current situation and their expectations alike were better than in January. Of the two, the improvement in their assessments of the current situation was more pronounced.
Refugees from Ukraine Want to Work in Germany
A full 90 percent of refugees from Ukraine want to get a job in Germany. This is the finding of a survey the ifo Institute conducted of 936 Ukrainians. Of that group, 42 percent are already working in their chosen profession or are looking for jobs that match their qualifications. About 32 percent are also willing to work below their qualifications. Some 16 percent consider their opportunities on the German labor market to be far and few between, while only 10 percent see no chance of finding work or have no interest in doing so.
ifo World Economic Survey (2018q3)
10.7805/ebdc-wes-2018q3
German Economic Experts Rank Germany Only in the Middle of the Pack
Germany’s current attractiveness as a location for homegrown companies ranks only in the middle among its European peers. This is a finding of an international survey of economic experts conducted by the ifo Institute and the Swiss Economic Policy Institute. When asked to rate Germany’s attractiveness as a business location, the experts there awarded it 61.3 points out of a possible 100. Austria achieved 72.4 points, while Switzerland scored 72.6 points. “This isn’t a terrific result for the German economy. In particular, 78 percent of respondents in Germany think that their country has become less attractive as a business location over the past ten years. A full 48 percent expect the situation to worsen over the next ten years,” says ifo researcher Luisa Dörr.
Fuest Proposes Reform to Germany’s Tax Splitting for Married Couples
Clemens Fuest, President of the ifo Institute, has proposed a reform to Germany’s policy of tax splitting for married couples. “From an economic point of view, marital splitting creates strong incentives for second earners, usually women, not to pursue gainful employment or, at best, to take on a part-time job – and instead to concentrate on household chores and raising children. A system shift to models such as real splitting could spur second earners into greater labor force participation. Transitional solutions could limit the tax burdens on existing marriages,” Fuest says.
Un chercheur de l'Institut ifo préconise la vente de visas de travail
La vente de visas de travail temporaires pourrait aider les migrants économiques peu qualifiés à accéder légalement et en toute sécurité à l'Europe, sans saper son système de protection sociale. Cette proposition a été élaborée par Panu Poutvaara, le directeur du Centre ifo de comparaison internationale des institutions et de recherche sur les migrations. « Ces visas sont destinés à sauver des vies et faire voler en éclats le modèle économique des passeurs criminels sévissant dans les pays d'origine des migrants. Les excédents des recettes tirées de la vente des visas de travail temporaires pourraient servir à financer des mesures de soutien à ces mêmes pays », précise-t-il.
ifo Business Survey Construction (2021a)
10.7805/ebdc-ibs-con-2021a
ifo Institute: NRW Has Approved the Most Coronavirus Credits in Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is the German federal state that has approved the largest amount of coronavirus credits. The most populous state has approved credit authorizations amounting to 33 percent of its 2019 budget, equivalent to EUR 25 billion. It is followed by Bavaria with 31 percent (EUR 20 billion) and Lower Saxony with 27 percent (about EUR 9 billion). These findings are from an article by ifo researchers for ifo Schnelldienst 11/2020. “The volume of credit authorizations and the funds already drawn upon would seem to be a reaction to this extraordinary situation,” write ifo researchers Niklas Potrafke, Joachim Ragnitz, et al. „The debt brake has to be observed as soon as would be responsible, given the development of the business cycle.“
ifo Institute: Withdrawal from Globalization would Lead to Loss of Prosperity
The call for a less integrated world expressed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic would lead to a loss of income and prosperity. This is according to a recent study by the ifo Institute. “Rolling back globalization, for example by bringing production back to Germany on a larger scale, would not be a solution to the current crisis,” says Lisandra Flach, Director of the ifo Center for International Economics.
Germans Work 17% of Their Working Hours from Home
Germans work 17% of their working hours from home, finds an ifo Institute survey. “However, barely half of all jobs are even compatible with remote working in the first place,” says ifo expert Jean-Victor Alipour. “Where it’s an option, employees work from home an average of 1.5 days a week.”
Business Climate for Germany’s Self-Employed Improves
The business climate for the self-employed in Germany improved slightly at the end of the year, finds the latest ifo survey for this segment (“Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index for the Self-Employed”). The index rose to -17.5 points* in December, up from -18.8 points* in November. “It’s too early to talk of a trend reversal,” says ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber. “The self-employed are currently a long way from an economic recovery.”
ifo Business Survey Construction (2018b)
10.7805/ebdc-ibs-con-2018b
ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany: Historic Slump – No End in Sight (April 2020)
The eastern German economy’s downward trend accelerated again in April 2020. The ifo Business Climate Index for the region’s economy as a whole plummeted from 89.6 to 78.9 points, which is in line with the strong slump across Germany as a whole. Eastern German survey participants’ assessments of the current situation and their business expectations plunged more drastically than ever before. The coronavirus crisis has hit all areas of the eastern German economy and is weighing more heavily on the mood of companies than the financial crisis did.