Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index for the Self-Employed

The business climate for the solo self-employed and microenterprises in Germany improved in May. The “Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index for the Self-Employed” rose to -11.8 points*, up from -13.8 points* in April. Business fared better, with only a few self-employed expressing dissatisfaction with their current situation. Expectations also brightened up somewhat, although they were still marked by skepticism. “The self-employed are increasingly hoping that the worst of the economic downturn is behind them,” says ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber.

The business climate for solo self-employed and microenterprises in Germany improved somewhat in April. The “Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index for the Self-Employed” rose to -13.8 points*, up from -15.6 points* in March. Dissatisfaction with current business has decreased slightly, as has skepticism regarding expectations for the next six months. The signal coming from service providers is particularly positive. Here, order backlogs are slowly stabilizing. “The self-employed are hoping that the order situation will ease,” ifo Expert Katrin Demmelhuber says.

Uncertainty among the self-employed in Germany has increased. As a result, the business climate for this segment has deteriorated, according to the latest ifo survey in March (“Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index for the Self-Employed”). The index fell to -15.6 points*, down from -14.6 points* in February. “Contrary to the situation in the other sectors of the economy, the self-employed are experiencing increasing doubt,” says ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber.