Many consumers are sceptical when it comes to shopping on the internet. In contrast to shopping in the real world purchasers have difficulties in judging whether they can trust sellers. Therefore, it is not surprising that a survey by the GfK association for research of consumer habits revealed that to 63.3% of internet buyers a seal of quality is “important” or „very important“ for shopping online. more…

The number of high-tech companies set up in 2007 was higher than in previous years. Their number increased by 4% as compared to the year 2006 and reached a total of 19,200. The reason for this is probably a particularly good economic development in the high-tech sector since in almost all other lines of industry the number of newly founded companies was decreasing. However, the record number of start-ups reached in 1995 was still not attained in 2007. more…

Turnover generated by the German wholesale trade business grew significantly in April this year. It increased by 15.7% and 9.3% in nominal and real figures respectively as compared to April last year. In comparison with March 2008 it increased by 1.3% and 0.2% respectively after adjustments for calendar and season. These are the preliminary findings by the Federal Statistical Office. more…

Employers currently find one in four new employees through newspaper job advertisements. This is the surprising finding of a survey carried out by the Institute for Labour Market and Profession Research (IAB). In the year 2004 when the demand for new staff was lacking only 20% of vacancies were filled through newspaper job ads. more…

In order to fight a lack of specialists in the field of mechanical engineering, electrical and information technology, the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) supports measures to improve the further training for engineers which due to family obligations did not work for a longer period of time. The new project called “return2job” will operate in the fields of informatics, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering qualifying engineers over a period of 15 months. more…

In April 2008 import prices were 5.7% higher than in April last year. This was the same annual increase as in March. In comparison with March 2008 the prices for imports increased by 0.9%. Prices grew most for energy carriers (+36.1%) over the last year. Export prices were up by 2.2% in April as compared to April 2007. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the export price index increased by 0.3% in comparison with March 2008. more…

The sharp rise in consumer prices continued in May. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the consumer price index for Germany was up by 3.0% in May 2008 as compared to May last year. In April this year, the annual increase had been at 2.4%. In comparison with April 2008 consumer prices rose by 0.6%. The increase was particularly significant for fuel oil and diesel. more…

At the beginning of the educational year 2008 seven new vocational training courses will be introduced and three modernized from August 1st. Thus, the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) continues its modernization of the vocational dual system in Germany. Over the past twelve months the BIBB has introduced 79 new professions and modernized 215. more…

Over the next years Lower Saxony will sponsor the further training and qualification of small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) by 16.7 million Euros. The funds for this come from the European Fund for Regional Development. The fund is to level economic and social development differences among the regions of the European Union. more…

The Institute for Labour Science at the Darmstadt University (IAD) in co-operation with the Institute for ergonomics and design at the Technical University in Essen has developed a software by which users are able to detect health hazards in their work place. But the software is able to do even more: it gives an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses to the user as well as recommendations on how to avoid his or her weak points. more…