Ifo Business Survey for December 2010

The Ifo Business Climate for German industry and trade improved again in December. The firms assessed both their current business situation and their business prospects for the coming half year a little more positively than in the previous month. Throughout the course of all of 2010 the business climate index rose sharply. The German economy has freed itself from the recession of the previous year and at the end of 2010 was experiencing a strong upswing. The Ifo Employment Barometer was still pointing "high" in December. The year 2010 was a good year for the German labour market. The companies reduced the number of staff working short hours and hired additional personnel. At the end of the year, the employment prospects on the labour market were very good.