EDP service providers: Hard times

According to the 33rd Ifo Business Survey of EDP Service Providers, conducted in April and May 2003, the business climate improved slightly for the first time in a year, but business confidence is still low, with scepticism in the business expectations replaced only by cautious optimism. Of the surveyed enterprises, 18% described the business situation in the first three months of the year as favourable, 44% as satisfactory, and approximately two fifths felt their present situation was poor. For the sixth time in succession, the number of the employees declined, but there has been a slowdown in the pace of staff reduction. Almost three fourths of the EDP service providers reported constraints in their business activity. Poorly filled order books was listed by 62% of the companies in first place, but complaints over the lack of specialists have vanished.