Overview
- Output in NRW’s metal and electrical industry stands about 23% below 2019 levels, with employment down roughly 9%, according to Unternehmer NRW.
- The chemical sector is running at roughly 70% capacity, and companies have begun shutting plants or paying severance in NRW.
- Major restructurings underscore the pressure, including Thyssenkrupp’s planned 11,000 steel job cuts plus additional reductions under review, Ford’s 3,900 cuts in Cologne, and Ineos closures in Gladbeck and Rheinberg.
- Unternehmer NRW warns that the current reliance on retirements and buyouts is ending, raising the likelihood of direct layoffs if the downturn persists.
- The association says the loss of relatively high‑paid positions averaging nearly €65,000 a year threatens tax and social revenues, while a projected 2026 growth near 1% and labor officials’ forecast of more than 800,000 unemployed in February offer little relief.