Germany can do this if we unleash the economic giant Germany again with a modern location policy

Employers' President Dr. Rainer Dulger at the German Employers' Conference 2024:

"Germany can do this if we unleash the economic giant Germany again with a modern location policy"

Berlin, October 22, 2024 - The figures are clear: the vast majority of entrepreneurs are concerned about the economic conditions in Germany. According to a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute forsa on behalf of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), the entrepreneurs surveyed rate the conditions in Germany as not good (52%) or even bad (29%) - that is more than 80% of the companies surveyed.

This supports the demands of employer president Dr. Rainer Dulger for a more business-friendly environment in which investments become attractive again and growth becomes possible again. "As an entrepreneur, I am convinced: We can do this if we want to," explained Dulger at the German Employers' Day on October 22, 2024 in Berlin. He continued: "We can unleash the economic giant that is Germany again." Dulger warns: "Despite all the discussion, we are a strong country. But the economy is shrinking. Unemployment is rising. At the same time, regulation and bureaucracy are increasing and well-trained specialists are becoming scarcer. Labor costs and other burdens continue to rise. The more expensive an investment location is, the better it must be. This is no longer the case in Germany. Our companies are still competitive, but the location no longer is. Germany, once a premium product, is losing quality at an ever-increasing price."

Bureaucracy: the biggest brake on growth

The central message of the study underpins Dulger's appeal: Germany must drastically reduce bureaucracy. For example, 88% of employers and 70% of the population cite "reducing bureaucracy for citizens and companies" when asked what is important to better guide Germany through current and future crises. The figures have even risen again compared to 2023 (employers: 85, total population: 60). Also noteworthy: the majority of supporters of all parties represented in the Bundestag are in favor of less bureaucracy. 95% of entrepreneurs rate the burden of rules and regulations as "very heavy" or "heavy".

Crisis management: Traffic light government fails

Both entrepreneurs and the population as a whole give the traffic light system a very poor report card. For example, 90% of entrepreneurs and 85% of the population answered "no" to the question of whether the federal government has well thought-out concepts for overcoming the negative consequences of the current crises for citizens and the economy. Dissatisfaction has been growing continuously since 2022. 72% of employers and 63% of the population as a whole consider the work of the traffic light government to be worse than that of the previous government.

You can find the employer president's full speech here. The spoken word prevails.

Background:

The forsa survey was presented at the German Employers' Day on October 22, 2024 in Berlin. With more than 1,000 participants from business and politics, the German Employers' Day is the largest event for the entire German economy. The annual conference is organized by the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA). The opinion research company forsa was commissioned by the BDA to survey a total of 1,008 German citizens aged 18 and over and 280 BDA member companies between September 23 and October 14, 2024.

More about the German Employers' Day 2024 at https://www.deutscher-arbeitgebertag.de/.