Overview

• The sector has lost around 60,000 jobs since January, representing a 2.5% drop in employment in May compared with the same month last year.
• At the end of 2024, the industry employed 3.9 million people, underlining the scale of the workforce contraction.
• Inflation-adjusted order intake rose 4% from January through May, but companies report that demand has recently deteriorated.
• Employers credit government measures such as electricity tax reductions and an investment-action program for slight relief but call for broader bureaucratic and tax reforms.
• About half of automotive companies plan further staff cuts in the coming months, reflecting ongoing restructuring in a key subsector.