The majority of small and medium-sized companies in Germany assume that their business activities will be adversely affected by crises more often in the future. In a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, which was commissioned by the Hamburg B2B marketplace Visable, 25 percent named an economic crisis and 24 percent the war as the greatest threat to their company’s business activities. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of those surveyed fear that crises of this magnitude will occur even more frequently (44 percent) or much more frequently (24 percent) in the next three years.
In the possible crisis scenarios, the Covid 19 pandemic only plays a minor role. Only 11 percent of those surveyed see the current greatest threat in Corona. This puts the pandemic even just behind cyber attacks (also 11 percent).
According to the respondents with decision-making authority, the crisis scenarios are not only abstract, but can also be seen in the balance sheet figures. 35 percent said that their company has lost up to a quarter of its sales since the beginning of 2021 due to the major crises. According to their own statements, almost every fifth company (18 percent) has suffered even greater losses in sales.
Peter F. Schmid, head of Visable, emphasized that small and medium-sized companies are really struggling. “One crisis is followed by the next. The central issue for the next few years will be to make our medium-sized companies crisis-proof.” Otherwise prosperity throughout Germany and Europe would be threatened. (dpa)