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Press releases

Press release More apprentices in larger establishments, fewer in very small establishments

Die Anzahl der Auszubildenden in der gewerblichen Wirtschaft und in den Freien Berufen ist in 2024 um rund 19.000 gegenüber dem Vorjahr gestiegen. Insgesamt lag sie Ende Dezember 2024 bei 1,52 Millionen.

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Press release A quarter of self-employed craftswomen return to full operational duties just six weeks after childbirth

For many self-employed craftswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia, pregnancy brings not only joyful anticipation but also significant physical and financial strain. This is the finding of a recent survey conducted by the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn on behalf of the Ministry of Economic …

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Press release More courage for simpler building regulations

In recent years, Germany has tended to lose attractiveness as a location for investment projects. One reason is that commercial building permit procedures can sometimes take very long, making it difficult to accurately estimate total project costs.

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Press release Economic slowdown affects number of business start-ups

A total of approximately 360,000 new businesses were founded in Germany in 2024. Around 258,000 of them were started in the commercial sector, 7,040 in agriculture and forestry, and 94,900 in the liberal professions.

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Press release The federal government must now pave the way for the future

"According to a recent short survey, the vast majority of managing directors in Germany’s Mittelstand sector are calling on the new federal government to ensure reliable and consistent policy frameworks – and to refrain from excessive regulatory steering. This applies in particular to the ecological …

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Press release Less than half of all start-ups survive the first 5 years

Approximately 360,000 new enterprise were founded in Germany in 2024. It’s not just the number of start-ups that matters for an economy, but also their long-term survival.

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Press release The risk of insolvency was the highest in the transport and logistics sector in 2024

The risk of insolvency increased across most economic sectors in 2024, but the highest rate was in the transport and logistics sector: 14 out of 1,000 VAT-liable companies filed for insolvency.

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Press release Bureaucracy costs are a considerable burden for smaller companies in the industrial SME sector

A follow-up study from the machinery and equipment manufacturing sector shows that the overall burden of regulation (including EU bureaucracy) is higher for small companies than the gross return on sales.

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Press release Artificial intelligence is increasingly gaining acceptance in small and medium-sized enterprise

The number of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) using artificial intelligence (AI) procedures increased by 8 percentage points to 19% between 2023 and 2024.

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Press release More business start-ups than closures in the service sectors, fewer in trade and construction sector

Die Anzahl der Existenzgründungen überstieg in 2024 in den meisten Wirtschaftsabschnitten die Anzahl der Schließungen. Ein solch‘ positiver Saldo, der eine Zunahme im Unternehmensbestand anzeigt, war im vergangenen Jahr vor allem im Bereich der wissenschaftlichen, technischen und freiberuflichen …

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Press release Women apply less often for loans or venture capital for their businesses than men

Young businesses exclusively managed by women apply more rarely for bank loans than those led by men or mixed-gender teams.

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Press release Innovationen in der Wasserwirtschaft

Die Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI) hat heute ihr neues Jahresgutachten an die Bundesregierung übergeben. Darin betont sie die Bedeutung von Innovationen für die deutsche Wasserwirtschaft, um den kommenden Herausforderungen begegnen zu können. „Obwohl Deutschland ein wasserreiches …

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Press release SMEs: Fewer exports of goods in 2023, but more imports

Among the 267,000 companies in Germany that exported goods in 2023, 258,000 were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Their exports generated a turnover of € 277 billion – around € 13 billion less than in 2022.

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Press release Practice checks are a useful approach to reducing bureaucracy

According to a survey of the IfM Bonn eight out of ten business owners see their enjoyment of entrepreneurial activity disappear due to the current bureaucratic burden.

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Press release Economic policy after the election: less state control, a simplified tax system and improving the education system

The clear majority of managing directors in the Mittelstand companies hope that the new federal government will provide good and reliable framework conditions – and fewer controlling directives.

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