DIW Weekly Report 19 / 2016, S. 419-427
Since the 1980s, the number of people of working age who are not in paid employment has fallen significantly in (West) Germany. Correspondingly, the proportion of those without a job has fallen among 18 to 67 year-olds. This increase in employment was mainly in favour of marginal employment or working as a solo self-employed person rather than in normal employment.
DIW Econ has examined the economic significance of the gypsum industry in the southern Harz region. The study, commissioned by the Bundesverband der Gipsindustrie e.V. (Federal Association of the Gypsum Industry), concludes that the three locations of the companies CASEA GmbH (Ellrich), Knauf Deutsche Gipswerke KG (Rottleberode) and Saint-Gobain Formula GmbH (Walkenried) provided a gross value added of more than 92 million euros as well as more than 1,300 jobs in the Southern Harz region in 2014.
DIW Berlin – Discussion Papers 1539
The Fehmarnbelt is a strait between Denmark and Germany, which is currently crossed by a ferry. The discussion paper analyses the theory of competition between the ferry and the planned fixed Fehmarnbelt crossing.
Companies rate the business climate with the best value since 2005!
The SME survey 2015 was conducted from August to September on behalf of Berliner Sparkasse / Landesbank Berlin. The responses of almost 1,000 representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises from the region were evaluated and led to the result that the economic situation and future prospects in the Berlin and Brandenburg region continue to be optimistic from a business perspective.
European SMEs starting hiring again
The report 2014/2015 presents good news: after years of downsizing, European SMEs are expanding, and have started hiring again. The annual report, prepared on a yearly basis, provides a synopsis of the size, structure and importance of SMEs to the European economy and an overview of the past and forecasted performance of SMEs from 2008 to 2016.