Almost every seventh company in Germany sees its existence threatened by the corona pandemic. The service sector and retail trade are particularly worried, according to a survey published by the Munich-based Ifo Institute on Monday. Nationwide, 14 percent of the companies surveyed in December said that they classify their existence as endangered.
The companies thus rated their threat at the same level as in June last year. In three other surveys in February 2021, as well as in November and June 2020, the concerns were even more pronounced with values between 17.6 and 21.8 percent.
In the retail sector, 17.1 percent rate themselves as endangered – a clear plus for the summer. “These are also the consequences of the reluctance of consumers,” said the head of the Ifo surveys, Klaus Wohlrabe. Construction with 5.1 percent and the manufacturing industry with 5.7 percent, on the other hand, are comparatively little affected.
The service sector is currently feeling the greatest threat at 20.4 percent – drivers include the travel and event industry as well as the hospitality industry. Here, more than half of the companies see themselves threatened, with travel agencies and tour operators the figure is as high as almost three quarters. (dpa)