Starting a home office: "General economic uncertainty"
Photo: Daniel Naupold / DPABecause of the corona crisis, significantly fewer companies were founded in Germany in the first half of 2020 than in the same period of the previous year. The number of start-ups larger companies fell from January to June by 9.4 percent to around 58,000, according to the Federal Statistical Office. In the case of small businesses, there was even a drop of 21.1 percent to around 68,100. However, only the number of newly established part-time businesses rose, by 1.2 percent to just under 140,100.
The statisticians blame several phenomena for the decline in the number of companies being founded. On the one hand, there were shortages in personnel and overall fewer visitors in the trade offices due to the measures taken to combat the pandemic. "On the other hand, it can be assumed that there have been fewer start-ups due to the general economic uncertainty," said the Federal Office.
Deferred bankruptcies?
The number of cancellations has also decreased. In the first half of the year there were around 203,300 or 17.4 percent fewer business tasks than in the same period of the previous year. Because the federal government has suspended the obligation to file for bankruptcies, some economists expect a postponed bankruptcy wave that could endanger German companies in the autumn.
The corona crisis paralyzed large parts of the economy, especially in the spring. As a result, the gross domestic product collapsed in the second quarter by 10.1 percent, more than ever before. For the current summer quarter, experts expect an end to the recession - because the corona requirements have been relaxed and the federal government is pumping a lot of money into the economy.
Icon: The mirrorrai / Reuters