More and more business associations are warning of “de-industrialization” and Germany is becoming less attractive as a location. An entrepreneur sharply criticizes the politics of the traffic light coalition.
Well-known companies such as Miele, Conti and Stihl are withdrawing from Germany, cutting jobs or shifting their focus abroad. “The traffic light destroys the myth of Made in Germany,” Martin Herrenknecht told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview on April 12. The entrepreneur is not alone in his concerns about Germany as a business location: The employers' association Gesamtmetall and the trade union IG Metall also called on the federal government on Friday (April 12) to strengthen the country as a place to do business. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, more investments are also being made in other countries, the associations said in a joint statement. In addition, they called for accelerated infrastructure expansion in rural areas and a long-term raw materials strategy.