Economy is oriented towards manufacturing
Traditionally, the German economy is oriented towards manufacturing. This
extends to the service sector, where there are many companies developing and
applying leading-edge technologies for industrial use. For decades,
manufacturing output has exceeded the consumption requirements of the
domestic economy; in effect, Germany is and remains a major exporting nation
in order to maintain domestic employment.
In keeping with this tradition,
Germany’s recovery from the economic crisis was export-led. Nevertheless
unemployment remains a concern. In December 2013 it was running at 6.7%,
roughly similar to the previous year and to the pre-crisis level.
EU Forecast
euf:ba18e:16/nws-01