Overview
- Saxony’s IHK business climate index slipped to 97 in a September survey of roughly 1,800 companies representing about 85,000 employees.
- Only 12% of Saxon firms expect better business in the coming months, while 26% anticipate a deterioration.
- More than half of companies in Saxony plan no investments or cutbacks to spending, with 12% planning to hire and 22% expecting staff reductions.
- In Baden‑Württemberg, fewer than one in five firms foresee improvement over the next year and nearly a quarter expect worsening conditions, leaving sentiment largely unchanged but uncertainty higher.
- Across the Southwest, 66% cite weak domestic demand as the top risk and 56% point to high labor costs, as BWIHK vice president Claus Paal calls for moving from talk to action.