Future Atlas 2025: Where Germany's regions are now strong!

Future Atlas 2025: Where Germany's regions are now strong!

The current edition of the Future Atlas 2025 takes an insightful look at the future viability of German regions. The three-yearly study evaluates 400 districts and independent cities based on important criteria such as population development, the job situation, patent applications per capita, the proportion of highly qualified specialists and the expansion of renewable energies. However, the structural changes brought about by digitalization and demographic change pose major challenges for many regions. The recession is seen as a test of the resilience of these areas, according to the ranking by kommunal.de.

What is particularly pleasing from Cologne's perspective is that almost half of the regions in North Rhine-Westphalia, especially in the Ruhr area and Münsterland, were able to increase their ranking significantly. In the current list of the ten regions with the best future prospects, the district of Munich is at the top, followed by Erlangen and Munich. Mainz and Regensburg have also worked their way into the top 10. In contrast, there are also regions with high future risks, including Gera and the Uckermark. In total, 380 out of 400 districts show a deterioration in the labor market situation.

Labor market: A mixed outcome

The labor market in Germany is surprisingly robust despite the economic weakness. The number of employed people is at a high of 45.7 million, while the unemployment rate is stable at 6.4 percent. However, there are significant differences in job opportunities. Particularly qualified skilled workers have it much easier, while the long-term unemployed, of whom 972,000 were counted last year, continue to struggle with difficulties. City jobs highlights that one in six occupations is considered a bottleneck occupation, especially in IT, healthcare, skilled trades, engineering and logistics.

However, the forecasts for the labor market in 2025 show bright spots. The integration of Ukrainian refugees is seen as positive and the labor market barometer has shown signs of a slight recovery. Growth is expected in promising sectors such as renewable energies, digitalization and health. In order to counteract the impending skills gap, measures such as the promotion of training and further education, better working conditions and international recruitment are required.

Outlook and challenges

In summary, it can be said that the labor market in 2025 will be characterized by a two-fold picture: While qualified specialists enjoy excellent job opportunities, low-skilled and long-term unemployed people continue to struggle with the challenges of a changing labor market. The future not only depends on the stabilization of employment figures, but also on efforts to invest specifically in future sectors and to create social balance.