Daniel Stelter: Der Kollaps einer Schlüsselindustrie – und keiner will die einzige Lösung hören
Die Metall- und Elektroindustrie steckt im größten Stellenabbau ihrer Geschichte. Regierung und Gewerkschaften müssen gegensteuern – denn ein Ausweg wäre längst bekannt. Ein Gastbeitrag.
Since 2019, approximately 350,000 jobs have been lost in the metal and electronics industries, marking the decline of a cornerstone of the German economy and prosperity. This downward spiral is attributed to technological disruption in the automotive sector, with electric vehicles requiring fewer components and fewer workers for production.
Additionally, the site and its companies have suffered from a significant loss of competitiveness, particularly to China, which enjoys substantial cost advantages in labor and energy, and has become technologically equal or superior in many areas.
In the past, German companies were able to reap price premiums and compensate for higher labor and energy costs, bearing increased bureaucratic costs. However, this is no longer feasible. The scale of the adjustment required is alarming: according to the employers' association Gesamtmetall, labor costs per hour have risen by 41 percent between 2015 and 2025, while real hourly productivity has only increased by 17 percent.
There's no wonder why companies have been running a negative net investment ratio for several years, causing erosion of their capital stock.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
