According to Jörg Dittrich, the president of German tradesmen, wait times for appointments with skilled tradespeople have noticeably decreased. Currently, the average wait time is 8.9 weeks, although Dittrich noted that waiting periods remain longer in urban areas compared to rural regions. This represents a significant improvement, as these waits were previously as long as 14 weeks.
However, Dittrich painted a dramatic picture of the crisis’s effect on the German skilled trades, citing immense pressure that could cause entire business models to fail and lead to widespread job cuts. He reported that the trades sector already lost over 60,000 jobs last year. Furthermore, the ongoing instability due to the crisis has caused many families to postpone planned investments, leading to a noticeable drop in incoming orders.
The crisis has severely disrupted supply chains, particularly in construction. As many building materials require energy-intensive manufacturing, key items like polystyrene insulation, which needs crude oil, have become directly more expensive. This scarcity caused demand to shift toward mineral wool, which is now becoming scarce itself. Consequently, the construction sector is facing price increases of up to 50 percent, driven not only by material costs but also by rising transport expenses. During this period, delivery times increased drastically from two weeks to 16 weeks.
Dittrich also highlighted a critical psychological effect: the spending power at the gas station has an immediate ripple effect. If people spend more money on fuel, they tend to spend less on non-essential services, such as haircuts, or at local shops like bakeries and butchers.
In response to the growing economic pressure, Dittrich strongly urged the federal government to extend the existing gasoline rebate beyond the originally planned two months. He argued that as long as the economic crisis persists and the state gains additional revenue, this saving should be passed on to consumers.
Overall, while he stressed the necessity of extending the rebate, Dittrich concluded that the most crucial action required for Germany is strengthening its overall competitiveness through comprehensive structural reforms.