Unterallgäu - In order to make settling in the Unterallgäu appealing to companies and to keep them in the district in the long term, a strategic direction of economic development is required. This depends heavily on location assessments and requirements. The latest company survey provides information about the general mood and the homework that the district still has to do.
As part of the youngest district committee for business and tourism, Michael Stoiber from the field of regional development, business development and tourism presented the most important results of the entrepreneur survey from spring 2021.
A total of 1,203 businesses in the Unterallgäu were contacted.
The response rate was enormous: a full 35 percent took part in the survey constructively.
The survey was not anonymous.
This has been discussed with the companies and has the advantage that improvements can be approached in a more targeted manner.
The results could be saved in appropriate databases and offer a good basis for strategic considerations in the context of economic development.
Two thirds of the companies have less than 20 employees
Two thirds of all companies surveyed have less than 20 employees. In the Unterallgäu, around 90 percent of all businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than nine employees. The craft trades took part in the survey the most; however, the survey participants offered an insight across all industries. At 54 percent, the focus of all businesses in the Unterallgäu is clearly on the manufacturing industry.
The survey, which takes place every three years on average, was expanded this time to include one aspect: Corona.
The pandemic had negative effects on two thirds of all businesses, a quarter didn't notice anything and eight percent even benefited from the corona crisis. and recreation sector.
It was surprising that most of them had positive experiences with corona aids and have now recovered relatively well.
Corona aid arrived safely
According to the survey, 24.7 percent were very satisfied with the processing of the Corona economic aid, 50 percent satisfied, 15.3 dissatisfied and 10 percent very dissatisfied.
More than half of the respondents complained about lost orders, 19 companies were even threatened with bankruptcy due to corona.
In the overnight area, the numbers slumped massively during the tough lockdown.
But the industry is a stand-up figure: Stoiber reports that the level from before the pandemic has been reached again since August of this year.
What is good at the Unterallgäu location and what is suboptimal?
In terms of location satisfaction, broadband expansion and mobile phone coverage were one of the criteria.
Here, contrary to expectations, the satisfaction was not so bad, Stoiber summed up.
The employers cited the availability of labor as the most explosive concern.
The shortage of skilled workers is also noticeable in the Unterallgäu.
The rating here was correspondingly bad.
For the neighboring district of Ostallgäu, only one marineal deviation could be determined.
Skilled workers shortage everywhere
The satisfaction was even worse there. Almost half of all companies surveyed complained of a shortage of skilled workers. According to Stoiber, this will remain an issue in the years to come. There are two reasons for this: either there are too few applicants or there is a lack of specialist knowledge. The economic development experts now have to think about the measures that are required to bring good staff to the district. The entrepreneurs are largely open and are thinking of incentives such as attractive further training measures, flexible working hours, noticeable wage and salary increases and flexible workplace design. Of course, home office is no longer necessary in the manual sector. Two big boosters of attractiveness, as the companies have already recognized, are housing procurement assistance and childcare.Company-controlled care for relatives in need of care. A lot will certainly happen here, said Stoiber.
The task of the district is now to bring supply and demand together, explains Stoiber.
The experts benefit here from the fact that the survey was not anonymous.
early warning system
In a kind of early warning system, the district can approach individual communities and reflect the interests of the entrepreneurs. In some communities there are communication difficulties. Companies and municipalities often do not come together, especially when it comes to commercial space. Around 100 companies reported an additional need for space. The criteria for the allocation of areas are always a matter for the municipalities and the question of whether parent companies should be preferred to new settlements. Often there are communication difficulties between mayors and companies, Stoiber learned in the survey. This often leads to a change of location that could have been avoided through targeted discussions.
Space saving measures are also an important issue for all municipalities and companies.
An offer of advice from the district must be made here.
Create regional value chains
Furthermore, a district would do well to generate regional economic cycles in order to be self-sufficient.
157 companies complained of logistical bottlenecks and a lack of supply.
This is precisely why regional value chains are so important.
District Administrator Eder sees the survey results as a “powerful tool”.
“We conduct such surveys to make something out of what we have heard.” It is now important to establish networks, offer themed days and bring companies to one table in order to find solutions.
The good news: The unemployment rate in Unterallgäu is extremely low at 2.1 percent and the pandemic-related short-time work has now been reduced to almost zero.
