economic_indicators

Wiesbaden – September 12, 2026 -- Toll-liable truck mileage on German federal highways rose 0.6% in August 2026 versus July, calendar- and seasonally-adjusted, and climbed 2.0% against August 2025 on a calendar-adjusted basis, according to Germany's Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM) and the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Truck mileage data serves as an early industrial output signal

The index tracks mileage of tolled trucks with at least four axles on federal motorways and is derived from digital toll-collection process data. Because economic activity generates transport demand, the index correlates closely with industrial production indicators and becomes available roughly one month ahead of the official production index, functioning as a leading indicator for German manufacturing activity. Destatis notes the index cannot currently be broken down by economic sector.

Frankfurt am Main – September 11, 2026 -- German employers' net employment outlook rose nine percentage points to 15% for the fourth quarter of 2026, marking the sharpest quarterly increase of the year and ending two consecutive quarters of decline, according to ManpowerGroup's latest labor market barometer.

Fewer companies plan job cuts, driving the rebound

The improvement stems primarily from a drop in firms planning workforce reductions, down to 17% from 24% in the prior quarter. Some 33% of employers intend to add staff, while 47% plan to keep headcount stable. Despite the gain, the outlook remains two points below the year-ago level and well under the global average of 29% and the European average of 20%.

Wiesbaden – – September 08, 2026 -- New orders for Germany's manufacturing sector rose 2.5% month-on-month in July 2026 on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), driven almost entirely by a surge in large-scale aircraft, ship and rail contracts.

Stripped of big-ticket orders, however, the underlying order book contracted 1.4% versus June, exposing weaker core demand beneath the headline figure. Orders climbed 13.1% year-on-year on a calendar-adjusted basis. June's initially reported 3.1% monthly gain was revised upward to 3.7%, with annual growth of 7.2%.

Wiesbaden – September 08, 2026 -- Germany's services sector, excluding financial and insurance activities, posted a 1.7% real revenue decline in June 2026 compared with May, according to preliminary calendar- and seasonally-adjusted data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Nominal revenue fell 1.4% month-on-month, while pricing effects widened the gap between real and nominal annual comparisons.

Professional and technical services lead the monthly slide

Freelance, scientific and technical services recorded the steepest sequential drop at 2.3%, signaling reduced demand for consulting, engineering and R&D-adjacent work. Real estate and housing services followed with a 1.8% decline, while transport and storage, along with other economic services such as equipment rental and staffing placement, each fell 1.6%. Information and communication services slipped 1.3% versus May.