Saxony's skilled trades in a low mood - "dies quietly"

Dwindling orders and little investment are dampening the mood in Saxony's skilled trades sector. Only around one in three companies (37 percent) rate their current business situation as good, according to the Saxon Crafts Association in Dresden. This is the result of an economic survey of around 1,300 companies in September. Last year, almost half of the companies surveyed in the fall were still positive.

"The skilled crafts sector is currently under pressure from several sides," said Uwe Nostitz, President of the Association of Skilled Crafts in Dresden. Private customers are cautious, while companies are burdened by high taxes and high costs. This is causing investment to remain at a low level. There is a lack of predictability and confidence.

Many companies across all trades do not expect their economic situation to improve in the foreseeable future, according to the survey. Almost half of them (44%) expect business to be even worse in the coming months - the last time expectations were this low was ten years ago.

Better information for students

The Handwerkstag appealed to politicians to ease the burden on trade businesses in order to get out of this "negative spiral". "The construction turbo that has now been agreed is a step in the right direction," said Nostitz. Now it is important to quickly implement the regulations for faster building permits in the municipalities.

Young people in particular need to be better informed about skilled trades professions at an early stage. "What we need is a change in mentality. It starts at school," said the President of the Crafts Day. The path to self-employment must also become easier and rural areas must become more attractive - for example through less bureaucracy, better transport links, good local amenities and faster internet. "Crafts are dying quietly, especially in rural areas," said Nostitz.

Creative solutions and new approaches are now needed, which the association wants to find together with state politicians. The umbrella organization of the industry represents the interests of around 54,000 craft businesses with around 280,000 employees in Saxony.