Germany has lost almost a quarter of a million manufacturing jobs since the start of the Covid pandemic as companies and politicians sound the alarm that Europe’s industrial heartland is suffering an irreversible decline.
As German voters prepare to go to the polls on Sunday, data highlights the struggle of Europe’s biggest economy to cope with high energy costs, consumer malaise and fierce competition from China.
The trend has piled pressure on political parties to find remedies. Friedrich Merz, tipped to be next chancellor, warns that the country risks deindustrialisation with industrial groups “going abroad in droves; taking their money abroad”.
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