People in Germany are showing less and less interest in founding new companies. The number of corresponding information and consultation meetings at the chambers of industry and commerce fell by three percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.
At 154,785, it is at its lowest level since counting began in 2002, according to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). The editorial network Germany (RND) had previously reported on the numbers.
“There was no start-up after the corona pandemic, for example in retail or gastronomy,” it continues. Instead, compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019, there was even a drop in start-up talks, which were already about more concrete projects, by a significant 42 percent.
The long-term trend is also pointing downwards. According to the annual DIHK report, fewer people have asked about founding a company for 13 years – apart from the years 2016 and 2019. DIHK President Peter Adrian described this trend to RND as “a serious threat to our economy”. In addition to demographic change, the DIHK also sees uncertain framework conditions as a cause.
