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Employee at VW: women should be made easier to work
Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/ DPA
Actually, the federal government is already busy enough with crisis management.
But consultants warn that fundamental reform projects must be pushed ahead with – otherwise German prosperity would be at risk.
Despite technical progress and automation, the economy's productivity growth has halved in the past decade compared to the previous decade, writes the management consultancy Deloitte in a study.
This is particularly bad for an aging society with a declining workforce.
Courses must be set quickly
»If it is not possible to reverse the negative productivity trend, the location will lose competitiveness.
Growth and prosperity will suffer significantly,” warned the chief economist at Deloitte Germany, Alexander Börsch.
The consultants' recommendation: more working women, more digitization and more start-ups.
"How the course is set in the next few years will determine the future prosperity of the country and the quality of life for future generations," said Volker Krug, Head of Germany at Deloitte.
With the right policies, economic growth of 3.4 percent per year and an increase in gross domestic product by EUR 8,600 to EUR 51,600 per capita is possible by 2030.
That's what management consultants recommend
More full-time women:
The consultants write that the labor market is a crucial lever.
Automation cannot compensate for the increasing shortage of skilled workers.
But with flexible working hours and extensive childcare, more women could work full-time.
A higher labor force participation rate among foreign and older citizens would also help.
Speed of digitization:
Software investments and rapid broadband expansion are also decisive for growth and competitive locations, advises Deloitte.
"Germany must tackle digitization more resolutely and speed up implementation significantly," said Krug.
Otherwise »the lag in digital technologies will make itself felt and the general competitiveness of our economy will suffer in the long term«.
Less bureaucracy when founding a company:
New digital developments are increasingly taking place in start-ups, writes Deloitte.
»However, structural and regulatory difficulties are slowing down young companies in this country.
More venture capital investments and less administrative effort would result in a real growth boost," says the study.
mmq/dpa