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Business Climate in the Chemical Industry Improves in Germany
The ifo Business Climate in Germany’s chemical industry improved in December. It rose to minus 23.9 points, up from minus 30.9 points in November, according to the ifo Institute survey. There was a marked climb in expectations for the months ahead, from minus 37.7 points to minus 23.8 points – the third successive improvement in this indicator. “The chemical industry is reacting positively to an easing of tensions in the energy market,” says industry expert Anna Wolf of the ifo Institute.
ifo Innovation Survey (2011)
10.7805/ebdc-ins-2011
ifo Institute: Peichl to Advise the German Federal Minister of Finance
Andreas Peichl (40), Director of the ifo Center for Macroeconomics and Surveys, has been appointed to the Advisory Board to the Federal Ministry of Finance. In this capacity, he will advise the German Federal Minister of Finance on fiscal policy issues, independently and on a voluntary basis.
Hugendubel and Bortenlänger Appointed to Head up ifo Administrative Council and Board of Trustees
At its meeting on June 29, 2023, the ifo Institute Board of Trustees selected Nina Hugendubel to be the new Chair of both the Administrative Council and the Board of Trustees. She is Managing Director of the book retailer H. Hugendubel in Munich. The incoming Deputy Chair is Christine Bortenlänger, Chief Executive of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.
Coronavirus – Number of German Companies Founded by Women Shrank Fastest in Rural Areas
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the proportion of companies founded by women has fallen most steeply in rural areas. Women were already founding less than 20 percent of all new companies prior to the pandemic, and Germany’s commercial register shows that this figure dropped to 16 percent in 2021. This is the finding of a new ifo study.
Materials Bottleneck in German Construction Eases Slightly
The shortage of materials in Germany’s construction industry has eased slightly, according to surveys by the ifo Institute. In July, 48.8 percent of companies in the building construction sector reported that their businesses had suffered from delayed deliveries of intermediate products.
ifo Institute: Covid-19 Exacerbates Migration and Integration Problems
The Covid-19 pandemic has far-reaching implications for migration. Compared to the same period last year, the number of first-time asylum applications in Germany decreased by 35.1 percent in March 2020 and by 51.3 percent in April 2020. “This decline is attributable to restrictions imposed on entry to the country and the closure of embassies and visa offices,” says ifo researcher Yvonne Giesing in an article for ifo Schnelldienst. Moreover, she adds, the pandemic negated the effect of the Immigration of Skilled Workers Act, which came into force in March 2020.
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 Index Rises Slightly (April 2021)
Sentiment among German managers has improved slightly. The ifo Business Climate Index rose from 96.6 points in March to 96.8 points in April. Companies once again raised their assessments of the current business situation. However, they were no longer quite so optimistic about the coming six months. Both the third wave of infections and bottlenecks in intermediate products are impeding Germany’s economic recovery.
ifo Business Climate Index rises (March 2024)
Sentiment in German companies has improved noticeably. The ifo Business Climate Index rose to 87.8 points in March, up from 85.7 points in February. In particular, companies’ expectations turned much less pessimistic. Assessments of the current business situation also improved. The German economy glimpses light on the horizon.
ifo Export Expectations in Free Fall (April 2020)
Sentiment among German exporters is in free fall. In April, the ifo Export Expectations for manufacturing plunged from minus 19.0 points to minus 50.0 points. This is the lowest value ever measured, and the severity of the decline is also unprecedented. The coronavirus pandemic is leaving deep scars on export markets.
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.
Oil Companies Passing On 85 to 100 Percent of Fuel Discount in Germany
The fuel discount for diesel and gasoline in Germany has essentially been passed on to customers, according to calculations by the ifo Institute. “In the case of diesel, filling stations passed on 100 percent of the discount, so the full 17-cent tax cut per liter. For premium gasoline, it was 29 to 30 cents of the 35-cent tax cut, or 85 percent,” says Florian Neumeier of the ifo Institute, who prepared the calculations together with Daniel Stöhlker and ifo President Clemens Fuest.
ifo Institute: Baden-Württemberg Has Largest Share of Short-Time Work in Germany
Baden-Württemberg has overtaken Bavaria to be the German federal state with the largest share of short-time workers, according to exclusive estimates from the ifo Institute. The estimates indicate that in October, approximately 13 percent of employees subject to social insurance contributions there were on short-time work; the figure in Bavaria was 12 percent. “Short-time work continues to be much more prevalent in southern Länder with a lot of metal processing, mechanical engineering, and car manufacturers and suppliers,” says ifo labor market expert Sebastian Link.
Wanted: Employees with Digital Skills
Companies are particularly keen on employees with digital skills, finds an ifo analysis of 1.8 million online job advertisements from companies in Munich and Upper Bavaria in the period from 2019 to mid-2022. Digital skills were required in 70 percent of the job advertisements evaluated. “In addition to specialist knowledge, it is increasingly important for employees to have skills that enable them to adapt to technological change,” says Oliver Falck, Director of the ifo Center for Industrial Organization and New Technologies.
Lena Abou El-Komboz
Junior Economist and Doctoral Student
Jacqueline Adelowo
Junior Economist and Doctoral Student
Joop Age Harm Adema
Junior Economist and Doctoral Student
Stefanie Aegger
Technical Assistance
Clara Albrecht
Specialist