According to Mr. Anton F. Börner, who is the chairman of the German Association of wholesale and retail trade (BGA), Germany is the world´s leading exporting country in the year 2008. Furthermore, turnover generated through exports is expected to exceed the barrier of on trillion Euros for the first time ever. “Even though in November and December exports and imports decreased, they did not drop very much”, says Mr. Börner with regard to the current economic crisis. For the year 2008 as a whole the BGA expects exports to grow by about 4%. more…

In the year 2008 consumer prices in Germany increased as much as for the last time 14 years ago. As compared to the year 2007, inflation amounted to 2.6% in 2008, according to the Federal Statistical Office. In December this year inflation reached 1.1% in comparison with the same month in 2007. Since November this year consumer prices have increased by 0.3% after they had fallen by 0.5% in the period from October to November this year. more…

The Friedrich-Naumann foundation has carried out a new study on economic freedom in the German Federal states. It turned out that Bavaria once again is the region which offers most economic freedom. Baden-Württemberg comes second in this respect. In the Federal landers in the east of Germany economic freedom is more restricted than in the west, in particular due to the fact that public authorities interfere more in the economy in the east than in the west of Germany. more…

About 60% of German companies procure the materials, components and goods needed for their respective production processes online over the internet. Only the Swedes are even more active in this respect: in Sweden 72% of all companies employing at least ten people carry out online procurement. These figures were calculated by the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) on the basis of data for 2007 provided by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). more…

We all have been through quite a turbulent time recently and unfortunately the time ahead of us will not be less turbulent. Therefore it is all the more important to spend some contemplative days in order to take our breath. Everybody who despite all the stress and economic crisis keeps being in good health and enjoys private and professional success has every reason to be happy. more…

As compared to the third quarter 2007 gross wages and salaries of full-time employees in the German processing industry and the service sector increased by 3.0% in the third quarter 2008. Currently the average gross wage is 3105 Euros per month. In the west of Germany the average monthly gross wage increased by 2.9% to 3224 Euros and in the east by 3.4% to 2355 Euros. more…

In October this year the financial crisis had not yet affected employment in the German processing industry. At the end of October businesses in the German processing industry with at least 50 employees provided work to about 5.4 million people which was a plus of 2.0% or 105,700 people more as compared to October 2007. Once more, most jobs were created in German mechanical engineering (+5.2%). The smallest number of new jobs was created in the chemical industry (0.0%). more…

According to the latest study on purchasing power in Germany by the GfK market research association, next year the average salary increase and the inflation rate in Germany may probably set off each other so that purchasing power of Germans will stagnate. The study also shows that the average purchasing power differs significantly in different regions of Germany. At the top end of the purchasing power ranking there were little changes, according to the experts from Nuremberg. At the bottom end there are once again only East German regions and the West German city of Bremerhaven. On the other hand, some East German districts have benefited from a rise in the purchasing power of their citizens. more…

According to the German Association of Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM), it is estimated that in the year 2009 federal, regional and local authorities combined will invest 18.1 billion Euros in information technology and telecommunications. This would be an increase by 2.7% as compared to the current year 2008. These predictions are based on a study by the TechConsult market research institute. According to estimates by BITKOM, the amount of money necessary to provide public administration, health systems, schools and police stations with state of the art equipment alone amounts to 8 billion Euros. more…

In the third quarter 2008 Germany exported goods to the value of 250 billion Euros which is an increase by 4.1% as compared to the third quarter last year. After adjustment for prices exports increased by 1.5%. Imports to Germany amounted to 211 billion Euros which is a plus of 10.9% in nominal figures and by 4.4% in real figures. more…