As of the end of November 2007 almost 5.3 million people worked in the German industry. According to the Federal Statistical Office this corresponded to an increase by 110.800 people (+2.1%) in comparison with November 2006. Accordingly the number of hours worked by November 2007 increased by 1.8% to 728 million. Gross wages and salaries added up to 22.7 billion Euros (+3.7%). more…

According to the Federal Statistical Office, consumer prices increased by 2.2% in the year 2007 as compared to the year 2006. This increase is the strongest since 1994. In the year 2006 inflation amounted to just 1.7%. Most important factors for this accelerated inflation are increased value added and insurance taxes as well as energy prices. more…

According to leading financial analysts from 18 banks, which were interviewed in the course of the “ZEW-Prognosetest“ by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), interest rates in the Eurozone will slightly fall over the months to come. With regard to short-term interest rates (3-months-Euribor) experts forecast an average decrease by 36 basic points to 4.40% by March 2008. more…

In the course of the „Entrepreneur of the year“ competition the Ernst & Young consulting firm is looking for the most successful German entrepreneurs in 2008. Entrepreneurs from innovative and growing small and medium-sized entities from all lines of industry are invited to take part in the competition. more…

In the eyes of international investors Germany is one of the most attractive business locations worldwide. This was revealed in recent surveys among international managers as well as by studies carried out by renowned consulting firms. Encouraging figures published today demonstrating the sustainable economic growth in Germany also testify to a positive and competitive economic climate in Germany. Thus, small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) should not be influenced by Nokia´s decision. more…

Almost all businesses in Germany nowadays accept cashless payment by ec-card. Most small and medium-sized businesses in Germany meanwhile also accept electronic cash by ec-card. In future German consumers will be able to pay as comfortably elsewhere in Europe as they pay at home in Germany. more…

As of today small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) and research institutes once again have the opportunity to apply for subsidy funding for international co-operations in the field of technology within a “EraSME Joint Calls” programme. Project proposals from all fields of technology are admitted. The funding for such projects which amount up to 10 million Euros are made available through the national programmes involved. In this initiative Germany is represented with the “InnoNet” programme by the Federal ministry for economic affairs and technology. Deadine for submitting project proposals is March 31st 2008. more…

The Federal Ministry for Transport will provide 500 million Euros over a period of ten years for the preparation of the market introduction of the hydrogen and fuel cell technology. This initiative is part of a national innovation programme for the hydrogen and fuel cell technology. more…

German tourism is gaining momentum: According to provisional calculations by the Federal Statistical Office, hotels with at least nine beds and camping sites registered 22.9 million overnight stays in November 2007 which is a 8 percent increase in comparison with November 2006. As compared with October 2007 the number of overnight stays increased by +2%. more…

According to the Federal Statistical Office, German local district courts reported 9442 private consumer insolvencies and 2732 company insolvencies in October 2007. Thus, private insolvencies increased only slightly in October (+0.9%) while a trend of less companies going bankrupt was continuing (-10.3% in October 2007). more…