IfM Bonn News

Artificial intelligence has taken hold in small and medium-sized enterprises. Around one in four SMEs in Germany was using AI processes in 2025. In 2024 it was only one in five companies.

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What career opportunities exist in a research institute? How does someone become a researcher? How does the public relations department communicate research findings to the public?

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Does ethics play a role in economics? How important should it be, especially when it comes to advising policymakers?

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Although the Chinese government has repeatedly used access to raw materials and intermediate goods as a political lever in recent years, many companies continue to rely on supplies from China. As a result, the value of goods imported from China, after a temporary decline, rose significantly again in …

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Although the number of business insolvencies rose by 10.3% last year to over 24,000 companies, the number of business closures remains significantly higher (2025: 270,000 companies).

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The number of new businesses is on the rise again in the commercial sector, the liberal professions and in agriculture and forestry (the non-commercial sector): in 2025, a total of around 395,000 full-time self-employed businesses were established.

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Health and safety is a top priority for companies – not least because fewer workplace accidents and absences due to illness have a positive impact on business productivity.

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"The decline in profitability that many businesses have suffered in recent years has led to the number of business transfers currently stagnating," reported Dr Rosemarie Kay in mid-March at the Federal-State Committee for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Wiesbaden.

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Women are more rarely applying for bank loans for their businesses than men or mixed-gender teams. "The reason for this is not that they find it harder to obtain bank loans.

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In view of the geopolitical challenges, small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany seem unable to emerge from crisis mode. In addition, companies are faced with the task of mastering the ecological transition.

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In tax consultancy firms, artificial intelligence (AI) is used to automate routine tasks such as bookkeeping and document processing. Some painting firms are using robots for standardised tasks, such as priming large surfaces.

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Could artificial intelligence help mitigate the shortage of skilled workers in companies?

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Although half of all working people in Germany are women, the proportion of self-employed women has stagnated at just over a third for years.

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At the end of 2025, turnover and profits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have increased. By contrast, investment activity, which had increased over the course of 2025, showed a slight decline towards the year-end.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) often use informal implementation strategies to comply with legal requirements. According to Professor Christian Hauser (University of Applied Sciences of the Graubünden), this should also be taken into account in scientific studies.

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