Saarland construction industry fears further downward trend
The Saarland construction industry expects the downward trend to continue in the coming year. "The order situation for the second half of 2024 is bleak, short-time work or even job losses cannot be ruled out," said President Klaus Ehrhardt on Friday at the autumn press conference of the employers' association of the Saarland construction industry (AGV Bau Saar).
At present, companies are still drawing on existing orders on hand - these are expected to last until the middle or end of next year. Cancellations are already the order of the day, however. "This is resulting in a dramatic development, as new business has virtually come to a standstill," said Erhardt.
The association sees the announcement by Construction Minister Reinhold Jost (SPD) to promote the construction of affordable rental apartments and owner-occupied homes with 79 million euros and to pass a housing promotion law for this purpose in the coming year as positive. However, it is questionable whether the funding measures will be sufficient to make social housing construction attractive for private investors, taking into account the tightly capped rents.
Despite the announced funding of 79 million euros by Construction Minister Reinhold Jost for the construction of affordable rental apartments and owner-occupied homes, the Saarland construction industry continues to express concerns about the ongoing downward trend in the industry. The President of the AGV Bau Saar, Klaus Ehrhardt, warned that the second half of 2024 could see increased use of short-time work or job losses due to the bleak order situation.
Source: www.dpa.com
