GERMANY’S WORKFORCE SLUMPS FOR 1ST TIME IN 10 YEARS

The number of people employed in German manufacturing declined in 2020 for the first time in a decade, according to data released, painting a gloomy picture ahead of coronavirus talks between the government and various industry groups, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Over the course of the crisis year, an average 5.5 million people worked in local units of manufacturing with 50 or more employees, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported. That was a fall of 2.2 percent compared to 2019, it added. The last annual decline was recorded in 2010, when the financial crash resulted in a 2.4-percent slump.

In December 2020, the year-on-year fall in the number of employees was particularly steep in the metal production and processing industry (minus 5.8 percent), followed by mechanical engineering (minus 4.5 percent) and the automotive sector (minus 3.2 percent).

By contrast, the chemical industry saw its workforce grow in December by 1.6 percent compared to the same period in 2019, according to the data. Employees currently signed off work as part of the government's furlough scheme are included in the figures.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is set to host industry representatives on Tuesday for a conference to discuss the coronavirus crisis. While industry has been hit by interrupted supply chains and falling global demand, other businesses have been struggling because of forced closures.

More than 40 associations representing diverse branches of industry have been invited to participate in the talks, including from the hard-hit gastronomy, retail and tourism sectors

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