Overview
- Destatis reported that production in energy‑intensive sectors fell 15.2% from February 2022 to March 2026 after seasonal and calendar adjustment.
- Output across all German industry declined 9.5% in the same span, showing energy‑hungry producers took a deeper hit than the broader sector.
- Employment in those industries dropped 6.3% to 794,400 workers, which equals about 53,200 jobs lost since February 2022.
- Most sub‑sectors shrank, led by glass and ceramics down 25.0% including concrete and cement down 29.3%, paper down 18.5%, chemicals down 18.1%, and metals down 12.9%, while mineral oil processing bucked the trend with output up 24.6% and jobs up 5.8% after gains since January 2026.
- In 2024 these industries used 75.6% of all industrial energy, with natural gas the top source at 26.3% followed by mineral oils at 21.0%, coal at 18.1%, and electricity at 15.2%.