Overview
- Gesamtmetall reports the sector is currently shedding nearly 10,000 jobs a month and has declined for 21 consecutive months.
- The association says companies cannot tolerate prolonged underutilization of production and expects the negative trend to persist in the short term.
- Employers urge the federal government to push the EU to rein in new binding legal acts after what they describe as a record year of regulatory changes.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz is being pressed to pursue a competitiveness course change at the February 13, 2026 EU summit, including curbing new EU acts.
- Survey data and labor officials flag weak prospects for 2026, with only one in seven firms optimistic and job chances at a low, according to the Ifo Institute and the Federal Employment Agency.