New employment record in the Ruhr Metropolis
Employment growth above the comparable figures for the State and Federal government: A total of 32,517 new jobs were created in the Ruhr Area in 2019. More people in the region therefore are employed who are subject to social insurance contributions than at any time since 1976.
The number of employees subject to social insurance contributions rose by 1.9 % to 1,780,332 between 2018 and 2019. Intriguing is the comparison with the rest of the country. Employment growth in the Ruhr Area is above the comparable figure for Germany (+1.6%) and also for North Rhine-Westphalia (+1.8%).
The Ruhr Area has now moved up into the midfield of the German metropolitan areas. Employment growth is keeping pace with the metropolitan regions of Frankfurt/Rhine-Main (+1.9%) and Cologne/Bonn (+2.0%) and is even stronger than in Rhine-Neckar (+1.3%) and Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg (+1.3%).
Nonetheless, there is still a gap when compared to the boom regions in Germany. Growth rates in Munich (+2.6%) or Berlin (+3.5%) are even stronger. We need in this regard the will to achieve more growth. Instead of subsidising weaknesses, the region must further reinforce its strengths.
The region's economy is more resilient and broader-based than it has been for a long time. The pursuit of growth, however, should not slacken in order to close the gap. Clear signals to companies and investors to boost renewed growth are needed. They need favourable conditions such as the potential availability of land and low rates of taxation and levies. Courage is needed to jointly develop the clear strengths of the region. Greentech, CyberSecurity and efficient use of resources have already made the Metropole Ruhr one of the world's leading metropolitan areas.
The Economic Report Ruhr 2019 is as such an interim report in turbulent times. It shows: The Ruhr Area is on the right track. There is, however, still much to be done. Let's get the job done.
To the Lead Markets
Driving force behind growth
The development of lead markets in the Ruhr Metropolis
The positive economic development in the Metropolitan Ruhr Area continues in 2019, although without the dynamism of the previous year. The number of employees subject to social insurance contributions rose by 1.9 % to 1,780,332 between 2018 and 2019 (in each case 30.06) (+2.3 % in 2018). Employment growth in the Metropolitan Ruhr Area is therefore higher than the comparable figure for Germany (+1.6 %) and shows similar growth to that of North Rhine-Westphalia (+1.8 %).
The main markets of the Metropolitan Ruhr Area in particular benefit from the increase in employment. Compared to the previous year, about 30,947 jobs have been created in these central economic sectors of the region (+2.1 %). The key driving force behind growth this year is the main market of mobility with 9,082 new jobs (+5.2 %). In addition, the main markets of urban construction & housing (+5,666; +2.9 %), digital communication (+3,329; +6.0 %), leisure & events (+2,289; +2.7 %) and resource efficiency (+2,251; +2.9 %) also record positive growth rates above the nationwide and state-wide figures.
The main market of healthcare (+2.6 %) has also made a major contribution to the increase in employment with a plus of 8,706 employees and is therefore still above the nationwide trend. The main markets of education & knowledge (+1,895; +2.3 %) and sustainable consumption (+369; +0.3 %) lag slightly behind developments at state and nationwide level, but nevertheless report positive figures.
The industrial core and business services (-2,640; -0.8 %) show slightly lower employment figures compared to the previous year. Sustainable positive development in almost all main markets of the Metropolitan Ruhr Area reflects the economic resilience of the region. Although established economic sectors, such as the traditionally strong industrial sector, have experienced slight declines, other sectors of the economy though have been able to gain importance and continue the positive employment trend of the previous year.
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Your contact person
Benjamin Legrand
Head of
Corporate Communications, Press Spokesman
Tel.: +49 201 632488-24
Fax: +49 201 632488-99
legrand@business.ruhr
Your contact person
Antje Felchner
Project Manager
Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 201 632488-15
Fax: +49 201 632488-99
felchner@business.ruhr