The Ruhr region: between stability, change and new specialisation     

Formal education sectors, in particular, have a stabilising effect. Pre-school education, as well as schools and universities, saw an increase in employment, whilst turnover trends in these sectors showed a slight decline in 2024. This suggests a trend underpinned by employment and institutional stability rather than a strongly market-driven dynamic.

The picture is more mixed when looking at the other sub-sectors. In 2024, the research sector saw a decline in the number of companies and turnover, but a slight increase in employment. The related services sectors of continuing education and educational organisations performed particularly strongly, with a 12.0% rise in turnover and continued growth in employment.

The data processing services and software sector showed particularly strong growth. Turnover rose to €6.25 billion in 2024 (+8.2%), whilst employment remained virtually stable. This underscores the growing importance of software-based, data-driven and AI-related applications for regional value creation.

Telecommunications services also saw a significant increase in turnover to €0.41 billion (+15.0%), whilst hardware, at €2.60 billion, remained below the previous year’s figure (-2.7%). In terms of employment, both core sectors declined. This points to productivity gains, structural shifts and a greater decoupling between value creation and traditional employment intensity.

Neighbouring services remained largely stable. This confirms the picture of a leading market whose core continues to grow, whilst individual traditional segments are under pressure. Software, data processing, AI applications, cyber security and digital infrastructures in particular are likely to shape future development significantly. A positive factor for the region is that digital value creation is increasingly spilling over into other key markets – from industry and mobility to education, health and public administration.

The cultural sector performed particularly well. The number of businesses rose by 7.1% in 2024, whilst turnover increased to €0.32 billion (+10.9%). However, this was offset by a slight decline in employment. Although the audiovisual media sector saw an increase in the number of businesses, it recorded falling turnover and employment.

The largest sub-market – events, leisure, sport and tourism – also remained on a growth trajectory. Turnover rose to €5.52 billion (+2.1%), whilst employment increased slightly. This points to an overall stable demand for leisure and experience-related offerings. Related services largely stagnated, whilst related industrial sectors saw an increase in turnover. Overall, this reveals a market whose sub-segments react very differently to cost trends, consumer behaviour and willingness to spend.

For the Ruhr Metropolis, Leisure & Events remains not only a contributor to quality of life, but also an economic sector with urban appeal. The region benefits from its rich cultural landscape, major venues, leisure offerings and broad everyday demand. Trends such as hybrid event formats, regional short breaks, experience-oriented consumption and the closer integration of culture, gastronomy and urban space can provide additional impetus for the key market.

Inpatient and outpatient care remain particularly significant. In 2025, around 196,957 people were employed in this sector; at the same time, turnover rose to €8.85 billion in 2024 (+3.4%). Related services such as social services, care, sport and health-related services also performed well, with turnover of €16.24 billion (+7.5%). This points to a broad and institutionally secure demand base. Added to this are trends such as the shift towards outpatient care, the recruitment of skilled staff, digitalisation in care and administration, and the expansion of preventive and supportive services.

The strongest growth was seen in insurance/administration, with turnover of €6.52 billion, and in medical technology, with €1.64 billion. In the insurance segment in particular, however, this momentum is largely a result of the revised allocation and should therefore be interpreted only to a limited extent as real annual growth. In medical technology, the figures tend to point to a greater concentration on high-performing providers, modernisation and replacement needs, and the growing importance of diagnostic and technical solutions.

At the same time, the sub-markets continue to show divergent trends: the pharmaceutical sector saw a 32.7% decline in turnover in 2024, whilst laboratory services increased by 5.9%. The healthcare market thus appears more stable than the striking overall increase might initially suggest.
 

Transport infrastructure saw particularly strong growth. Here, turnover rose to €2.28 billion in 2024 (+16.0%), whilst employment increased by 7.9% in 2025. This highlights the significant importance of infrastructure renewal in the region. The situation is different in traditional mobility management and logistics. Although turnover there rose to €13.31 billion (+3.3%), employment remained virtually flat at -0.2%. In the transport equipment sector, turnover stood at €2.75 billion, only slightly higher than the previous year (+0.5%), whilst employment fell noticeably (-5.5%).

Positive signs are emerging from related services as well as from laboratory, engineering and measurement services. Both sub-markets recorded growth in turnover and employment; this points to the growing importance of workshop and maintenance services, technical testing and control expertise, and project-specific know-how. In conjunction with digitalisation, automated traffic control, lower-emission vehicle fleets and multimodal solutions, new fields are emerging in which the region can make productive use of its locational and infrastructural advantages.

One of the region’s strengths is that the mobility sector comprises not only transport and logistics, but also infrastructure, workshop and agency services, as well as knowledge-intensive services. Duisburg, Hamm and the district of Unna in particular benefit from their role as transport hubs. If investment in rail, networks, urban logistics, fleet modernisation and transport-related services continues, this leading market can translate its stability into new growth opportunities.

The retail sector for fast-moving consumer goods remains a key driver. Turnover in this sector rose to €47.32 billion in 2024 (+1.8%); employment remained virtually stable in 2025. This means that the retail sector remains the most important pillar of this key market. Production of fast-moving consumer goods remained virtually flat. At €7.37 billion, turnover was slightly below the previous year’s figure (-0.2%), whilst employment increased moderately. The related services sector performed more dynamically, with turnover of €23.33 billion (+4.1%) and a strong rise in employment.

By contrast, the processes, materials and raw materials sub-sector saw a decline. Here, turnover fell to €1.72 billion (-7.9%), whilst employment dropped by 1.5%. This points more towards adjustment and consolidation than broad expansion across all segments.

A factor supporting future development is that sustainable consumption has long since moved beyond traditional retail. Repairs, servicing, digital distribution channels, regional supply chains and locally rooted forms of supply are gaining in importance. In a densely populated metropolis with short distances and a large customer base, this can lead to the development of a viable mix of brick-and-mortar retail, the platform economy, local supply and circular economy-oriented services.

Energy generation and distribution are particularly significant. Here, turnover fell to €96.00 billion in 2024 (-14.2%), whilst employment rose to 24,689 in 2025 (+4.2%). This suggests a normalisation of price and one-off effects, accompanied by a stable or expanded workforce.

At the same time, the water management and environmental and recycling sectors are showing robust growth. In the water management sector, turnover rose to €1.16 billion (+16.4%), and in the environmental and recycling sector to €10.03 billion (+9.0%). Both sub-sectors also saw growth in employment.

The related services sectors of trade and maintenance performed more weakly. Here, turnover and employment declined. In contrast, laboratory, engineering and measurement services, as well as the machinery and materials sub-sector, continued to grow in terms of employment.

The situation remained subdued, particularly in the construction and finishing sectors. In 2024, the construction sector recorded a decline in turnover to €5.04 billion (-6.2%), whilst the finishing sector stood at €10.63 billion (-2.0%). Employment figures also fell in both sub-sectors.

By contrast, the service-related sectors centred on trade, letting and property management had a stabilising effect. Turnover in these sectors rose to €27.57 billion (+2.5%). Architectural and engineering services also remained slightly in positive territory with turnover of €1.06 billion (+1.8%). This reflects the fact that the leading market is increasingly shifting towards the development of existing buildings, energy-efficient modernisation, technical building services and planning-intensive projects. It is precisely where renovation, efficiency, municipal infrastructure and digital planning converge that new opportunities are emerging for the region.

In the coming years, the extent to which energy-efficient renovation, public infrastructure projects, serial construction methods and digital planning processes generate additional demand is likely to be decisive. Recent developments already show that not all sub-segments are under equal pressure: whilst traditional construction and materials-related sectors are performing more weakly, administration-related, planning and modernisation-oriented services remain comparatively stable. This opens up the opportunity to further develop the key market more strongly through quality, existing stock and sustainability.

The picture is mixed when it comes to turnover. Business-related services rose to €14.43 billion (+3.1%), whilst raw materials and supplies fell to €51.05 billion (-7.0%) and machinery and processes to €8.76 billion (-5.0%).

In terms of employment, the decline was widespread: business-related services fell by 1.8%, materials and supplies by 3.3% and machinery and processes by 2.2%. Consequently, the industrial core remains under pressure in the labour market, without the region completely decoupling itself from the national trend.

Yet this very situation also presents an opportunity. The Ruhr Metropolis boasts dense industrial value chains, specialised suppliers, extensive infrastructure and a close interconnection between industry, logistics, engineering and science. Topics such as AI-supported production control, energy efficiency, the circular economy, materials innovation and more resilient supply chains open up new paths to modernisation. Where the industrial base and knowledge-intensive services interact, the region can translate its traditional strengths into new competitiveness.