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ifo Employment Barometer Falls (February 2024)
Companies in Germany are looking to hire less staff. In February, the ifo Employment Barometer fell to 94.9 points, down from 95.5 points in January. “With the economy so sluggish, companies are putting off hiring new people,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. “Even layoffs can no longer be ruled out.”
Amendment of the German Climate Change Act Was Too Hasty
The German government should make further improvements to the German Climate Change Act in the coming legislative period. This is what Karen Pittel, Director of the ifo Center for Energy, Climate, and Resources, writes in an article for ifo Schnelldienst. “Tomorrow, the EU publishes its Fit for 55 package. As a consequence, it might become necessary to revise the Climate Change Act,” Pittel says. It was only recently, in June 2021, that policymakers amended the Act following the ruling of Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court.
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.
ifo Institute: Euro Area Slides into Recession
Over the next few months, the euro area will slide into recession. This is the forecast of the ifo Institute in Munich and KOF in Zurich in their Eurozone Economic Outlook (EZEO). Economic output is likely to have shrunk by 2.3 percent in the first quarter and will shrink by another 10.5 percent in the second quarter; for the third quarter of 2020, the researchers are forecasting growth of 8.7 percent. All figures are quarter over quarter.
Nette amélioration de l'indice ifo du climat des affaires pour l'Allemagne
Le moral des chefs d'entreprise allemands s'est considérablement amélioré. L'indice ifo du climat des affaires a progressé, passant de 92,7 points en février (corrigé des variations saisonnières) à 96,6 points en mars, soit son niveau le plus élevé depuis le mois de juin 2019. Les entreprises se sont déclarées sensiblement plus satisfaites de leur situation actuelle. Elles sont par ailleurs de plus en plus optimistes concernant les mois à venir. L'économie allemande entame les mois de printemps avec confiance, malgré la hausse des nouveaux cas de Covid-19.
Institut ifo/EconPol : dans l'Union européenne, les acteurs les plus impactés par l'émergence de blocs géopolitiques seraient les laboratoires pharmaceutiques, l'industrie mécanique ainsi que le secteur automobile
La fragmentation de l'économie mondiale en plusieurs blocs géopolitiques affecterait en particulier les fabricants européens de produits pharmaceutiques, les constructeurs automobiles et leurs équipementiers ainsi que la construction mécanique. C'est ce qui ressort d'une étude du réseau de recherche EconPol présentée ce jour dans la capitale belge.
ifo Business Climate Index Falls (July 2019)
The mood in German C suites is growing uneasy. The ifo Business Climate Index fell in July from 97.5 (Revised value due to seasonal adjustment) to 95.7 points. Companies were less satisfied with their current business situation and are also looking ahead with increased skepticism. The German economy is navigating troubled waters.
Remote Working in Germany Prevails – Just Not Everywhere
Germany’s management consultancies are particularly likely to have staff working from home, according to ifo Institute surveys. In November, the proportion of people in that sector who work from home at least some of the time rose to 72.5 percent, up from 71.5 in August. Remote working is also widespread among IT service providers (71.7 percent) and in advertising and market research (60.4 percent).
ifo Business Climate East Germany Falls (October 2020)
Sentiment among companies in Saxony deteriorated noticeably in October. The ifo Business Climate Index for the region’s economy as a whole fell from 95.7 to 94.0 points. This is mostly due to a clear drop in business expectations. Assessments of the current situation also fell slightly.
Supply Problems Easing in German Retail
Supply problems in German retail have eased considerably. In January, 57.1 percent of retailers complained that they will not receive all the goods they ordered. In December, the figure was 81.6 percent. This is the finding of an ifo Institute survey. “With the end of the Christmas season, the pressure has abated somewhat,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, Head of Surveys at ifo. “Nevertheless, many retailers can’t fulfill every customer request because they’re still short on merchandise.”
Working from Home Declines Only Slightly in Germany
The proportion of employees working from home in Germany fell only slightly over the summer. It stood at 24.5 percent in August, down from 24.9 percent in April, according to the ifo Institute survey.
ifo Institute: Majority of Companies Want to Make Working From Home Permanent
Just over half (54 percent) of companies in Germany want to put working from home on a more permanent footing. This is according to a study by the ifo Institute, published in the latest edition of ifo Schnelldienst. Input for the study includes evaluations of data from current ifo company surveys and a survey by professional networking service LinkedIn of its members. “The coronavirus crisis could give working from home arrangements a lasting boost,” says Oliver Falck, Director of the ifo Center for Industrial Organization and New Technologies and coauthor of the study.
Les économistes se montrent critiques à l’égard de l’Allemagne
Les professeurs d’économie attribuent à l’Allemagne une note de seulement 3,4 (sur une échelle de 1 à 6, 1 étant la meilleure note) dans une étude comparant les différentes économies du monde. C’est ce qui ressort du dernier panel d’économistes de l’Institut ifo. 38 % des personnes interrogées ont attribué la note 3, 20 % la note 2, 17 % la note 4 et 20% la note 5. « Ce mauvais résultat est inquiétant pour une nation industrielle comme l’Allemagne », estime Niklas Potrafke, directeur du Centre de recherches sur les finances publiques et l’économique politique de l’Institut ifo.
Germany: ifo Institute Welcomes Immigration of Skilled Workers Act
The ifo Institute welcomes the new Immigration of Skilled Workers Act. “In view of its aging population, Germany will face an increasing shortage of skilled workers in the coming years. The new law helps to attract more skilled workers and make Germany more attractive for immigrants,” says Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for International Institutional Comparisons and Migration Research.
Sharp decline in the ifo Business Climate for eastern Germany
The ifo Business Climate for eastern Germany fell sharply in February. The business climate index for the economy in the east fell from 102.1 to 100.2 points. The measure of business confidence in eastern Germany has thus continued the downward trend of recent months. The most recent decline is due to the sharp downward corrections of the assessments of the current business situation. Business expectations also declined somewhat.
ifo Business Climate Eastern Germany: Index Decreased (May 2023)
Sentiment among eastern German companies cooled a bit in May. The ifo Business Climate Index for the entire regional economy fell to 96.2 points, down from 96.5 points in April. The companies surveyed slightly raised their assessments of the current situation, while their outlook for the next six months worsened noticeably.
New German Government Must Continue Efforts to Reach International Tax Agreement
There is still a long way to go before an effective international tax agreement is reached, finds an article in the ifo Schnelldienst. One important first step has already been taken: “A full 134 countries have agreed to a joint political statement on reforming the taxation of multinational corporations. This is remarkable. It marks a turning point in the history of international tax coordination,” writes Clemens Fuest, President of the ifo Institute and one of the authors.
Randstad ifo Survey: Pandemic Makes Finding Apprentices in Germany Harder
It is becoming increasingly difficult for German companies to find suitable apprentices, according to the Randstad ifo Personnel Manager Survey. By the time apprenticeships began in September 2021, 63 percent of the companies surveyed reported problems finding apprentices, up from 45 percent the previous year, while 14 percent were unable to fill their apprenticeship positions as of the start date – slightly more than in 2020. “About half of the companies in manufacturing and trade say this is due to applicants having insufficient qualifications,” says ifo researcher Johanna Garnitz.
ifo Institut: Mehr Ehrenamt und weniger Populismus bei lokalen Wurzeln
Bürger, die sich mit ihrer lokalen Gemeinde stark verbunden fühlen, gehen im Durchschnitt häufiger zur Kommunalwahl, interessieren sich stärker für Politik, wählen seltener populistische Parteien und engagieren sich häufiger ehrenamtlich. Dies ist das Ergebnis einer Studie des ifo Instituts Dresden im Auftrag der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit.
ifo Institute: Germans Give Only Low Approval for Climate Money
The “climate money” planned by Germany’s traffic light government has met with little approval among the country’s population. This is shown by a representative survey conducted by the Ludwig Erhard ifo Center for Social Market Economy and Institutional Economics in cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM).