- The Wartburg region continues to exert significant influence in the realm of heavy industry.
Despite facing difficulties in the automotive sector, The Wartburg district continues to be Thuringia's main income source. In the first half of 2024, industrial companies in southwestern Thuringia, which houses Opel and numerous automotive suppliers, raked in 2.2 billion euros, revealing a drop of approximately 36 million euros or 1.6% compared to the previous year, as per the Thuringian State Office of Statistics in Erfurt. Despite this decrease, the impact was not as significant as Thuringia's overall average decline of 7.8%, resulting in a total of 18.3 billion euros in the first six months of the year.
As reported by the "Automotive Thuringia" industry association, some automotive suppliers in southwestern Thuringia are contemplating plant closures and facing insolvencies.
Besides Wartburg, Jena's economy is notably robust in exports. According to the state office, other districts with performing industrial revenues include Ilm with earnings of 1.8 billion euros in the first half of the year, but with a steep decline of almost eleven percent. Ilm, home to Thuringia's largest industrial park, "Erfurter Kreuz", is affected by this decline. Gotha district generated 1.7 billion euros in industrial revenue, with a significant drop of almost 18%. Jena, an industrial city with listed companies, attained 1.5 billion euros in industrial revenue and a decrease of around four percent, whereas Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district generated 1.1 billion euros with a revenue decline of about five percent.
Jena's industrial sector boasts an export share of around 72%, making it the strongest in the Free State. The overall export quota for Thuringian industry was just under 38%. The industry employs around 144,000 people. The district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen recorded the highest decline in industrial employment, with 550 jobs lost or nearly six percent.
In contrast to the challenges in the automotive sector, the Wartburg district's manufacturing sector remains a significant contributor to Thuringia's economy. Despite some automotive suppliers in Jena considering plant closures, the district's manufacturing sector, known for its high export share, continues to thrive, with a decrease of only four percent in the first half of 2024.
