German companies lack innovation
In order to hold their own against the competition, companies need ideas and products that result from them. However, according to a survey, there is currently a lack of the necessary innovative ability. The willingness to innovate is lower than ever. Companies complain that two hurdles are particularly high.
This year, the German economy's willingness to innovate has fallen to its lowest level since the first survey in 2008. This is according to the as yet unpublished innovation report from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), which was quoted in advance by "Wirtschaftswoche". According to the report, the number one obstacle to innovation is the shortage of skilled workers. The DIHK saw the results as a warning signal.
Almost three quarters of the more than 2,200 companies surveyed see themselves held back by limited personnel capacities. In second place are the high bureaucratic requirements. More than two thirds of the companies complained that bureaucracy was restricting their innovations.
Only one in three of the companies surveyed wanted to expand their innovation activities, they said. In the last survey three years ago, almost one in two said the same. One in six companies even wanted to reduce their innovation activities over the next twelve months.
Concerns about Germany as a business location
DIHK Managing Director Martin Wansleben spoke of a warning sign for Germany as a business location. "Germany needs new ideas and products more urgently than ever to get back on its feet economically," he told Wirtschaftswoche.
Wansleben called on politicians to create an "overall innovation-friendly environment". This includes technology-open funding programs, low-threshold opportunities to cooperate with science and real-world laboratories to test innovations.
Read also:
The high bureaucratic requirements in innovations, as identified by the surveyed companies, are hindering the implementation of novelties, contributing to the observed decrease in innovation willingness. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) recognizes this shortage of skilled workers as the primary obstacle to innovation, leading to concerns about Germany's position as an attractive business location.
Source: www.ntv.de
