Overview
- DIHK chief Helena Melnikov warns that Mittelstand manufacturers are shifting production abroad or closing, calling the danger of de‑industrialization real.
- About 1,600 industrial firms went insolvent in 2025, the highest in roughly twelve years, and Creditreform estimates 23,900 total corporate insolvencies for the year.
- Official data show 18,125 insolvency filings in the first three quarters of 2025, an increase of 11.7% from a year earlier, marking the highest January–September total since 2014.
- The DIHK reports roughly 400,000 industrial jobs have been lost since 2019, with Destatis estimating a 2025 drop of 143,000 in manufacturing employment and gains concentrated in services.
- Only 15% of about 23,000 surveyed firms expect improvement as one third plan to cut investment and one quarter plan job reductions, and the DIHK forecasts just 0.7% GDP growth for 2026 while urging energy, tax and bureaucracy reforms.