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Our consultants, who have extensive management experience and who act entrepreneurially, create sustainable increases in value for our clients. With innovative methods and actions based on partnership, we implement strategies systematically, change structures and processes efficiently and set people in motion successfully.
Rigid working times for almost 60 per cent of German employees
January 23rd, 2012 | Topic: News
In Germany the majority of employees continue to work according to rigid working time models, which stipulate both the daily duration of work and the start and end time. This is the result of a survey by the Federal Statistics Office. According to this survey such an inflexible working time model applied to 58.1 per cent of employees in 2010. In comparison, merely 36.3 per cent had an influence on their working time arrangements and were able to use different forms of flexibility.
This flexibility had different characteristics: 24.1 per cent of employees had greater selection possibilities through a working time account. They merely had to reach a given total number of hours and possibly had to be present during so-called core times. A further 10.2 per cent were able to set the start and end of their working time flexibly using a flexitime regulation. 2.0 per cent of employees were completely flexible in setting their working time. Working time regulations did not play any role at all because their performance was assessed exclusively by work results.
Business climate for German SMEs improves further
January 16th, 2012 | Topic: News
According to a current study by the KfW Bank Group the business climate for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs or “Mittelstand”) in Germany also remained robust at the turn of the year. Correspondingly, the KfW-ifo “Mittelstand” barometer noticeably rose again in December 2011, by 2.5 points to 15.8 balance points. The business expectations of SMEs remain on course for recovery, despite reserved global growth prospects (+2.2 points). At -0.5 balance points they are now just under their long term average. In the opinion of the KfW an assessment of the current situation also contributed to the improvement in the climate, which noticeably grew (+2.9 points) and at the end of the year was just over the extraordinarily high 2011 average at 32.6 balance points.
The leader in the upwards trend in the business climate was retail (+ 6.0 points to 22.4 balance points); wholesale and construction also posted growth that went beyond typical monthly fluctuations. In contrast, the climate in more strongly export oriented manufacturing continued to lose ground.
German associations expect stable economic situation
January 9th, 2012 | Topic: News
Despite the euro and financial crisis the majority of German business associations are assuming there will be a slightly improved profit situation in 2012: 26 out of 46 associations are counting on slightly increasing profits, nine do not expect any change and eleven a slight decline in business results. This is the central result of this year’s association survey from the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (IW, or the Cologne Institute for Economic Research). However, 23 of the 46 business associations surveyed said the mood among their member companies was currently worse than one year ago. Only eleven talked about a more positive mood.
In terms of investment and employment figures the large majority of sectors – 29 and 31 respectively – expect values to remain the same at least. The survey painted a more positive picture than could be expected in view of the recent drastically lowered growth forecasts, according to the interpretation of the result by the IW.
Temporary employment rate in German engineering at six per cent
January 2nd, 2012 | Topic: News
According to a current study from the Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA, or German Engineering Federation), member companies currently employ around 57,000 temporary employees in additional to their permanently employed staff of 945,000 (status: September 2011). “The likelihood of being taken on permanently is high and our companies do not mainly use this instrument for costs reasons,” emphasised VDMA President Thomas Lindner at a press conference. According to the survey a good third of the companies assessed the chances of a temporary employee currently working for them being taken on permanently to be over 30 per cent. Lindner described temporary employment in the sector as a “bridge to permanent employment”.
Compared to previous surveys about temporary employment, the temporary employment rate in engineering has gone up from three per cent in 2005 and five per cent in 2007 to six per cent now. According to the results three out of four companies employ temporary workers. Those surveyed reported that savings were not at the forefront: 40 per cent of the companies said the financial expenditure for employing a temporary worker was comparable with that for a permanent member of staff. Borrowing workers is even the more expensive alternative for every third company. From the VDMA’s point of view, that the instrument is used nevertheless shows the positive readiness of companies to pay for the flexibility gained through temporary employment. In this manner companies avoid losing sales and revenues in time of good economic growth.
German business wants to further expand exports in 2012
December 19th, 2011 | Topic: News
German business also wants to develop exports further in 2012. This is the result of a current study from the finance and information service provider Creditreform. Around 1,200 export oriented German companies of importance to foreign trade were questioned as part of the study. Although growth prospects are deteriorating, according to the survey these companies are assuming exports will rise next year. The majority of those asked – 57.4 per cent – are planning to increase the proportion of exports in their sales.
German companies see the greatest potential for increases in Eastern Europe. 18.7 per cent of the exporters surveyed want to start business relationships in the Russia/Ukraine region. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Bosnia are also in demand. Primarily export oriented companies with many years of foreign experience want to follow the path to Eastern Europe.
Newer and less experienced export businesses are more careful in the Eastern Europe target region. Companies without much foreign experience want to commit themselves more strongly to euro countries such as the Benelux states, France, Austria and also to Scandinavia. New interesting foreign markets such as Turkey could provide dynamism in foreign trade in 2012. Thus 15.8 per cent of German exporters want to expand their export map to the Bosphorus.