NRW Crafts President - Ehlert: Short-time work looms in the construction industry this fall
In view of the impending downturn in the construction industry, North Rhine-Westphalia's skilled trades are calling for relief in order to stimulate demand again. "We urgently need to make building affordable again so that people can afford to buy their own home again," NRW trades president Andreas Ehlert told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf. The real estate transfer tax should be reduced from the current 6.5 percent to 5 percent and excessive building requirements should be relaxed.
He cited the tightening of energy efficiency standards for new buildings a year ago as an example of this. This should reduce the demand for heating energy by 15 percentage points. However, Ehlert criticized that the savings effect was "disproportionate to the immense economic cost".
The tradesmen working in the construction industry still had plenty to do, as they were working off their old orders. However, only a few new orders were coming in. As a result, the outlook for the future is gloomy. "Optimism has collapsed," said Ehlert. "Companies are very worried."
If the state does not take countermeasures, it is to be feared that the situation will "worsen to such an extent by autumn 2024 that many craft businesses will probably have to register for short-time work ". The associated salary losses would be serious for employees.
"The catering industry made it through the coronavirus crisis with short-time working, but then suffered an enormous loss of staff: because people are looking for other employment opportunities and switching to other sectors," said Ehlert. "This could also threaten the construction trade: that we lose well-trained specialists and are unable to find and retain enough junior staff." This applies to all areas of the main construction trade, whether roofers, concrete construction, plasterers or tilers.
Ehlert demands a clear course from politicians. For example, the Berlin traffic light coalition caused uncertainty with its dispute over the obligation to replace gas and oil heating systems. "Since then, property owners have been reluctant to invest."
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Source: www.stern.de
