Chamber of Crafts: Bremen on the rise despite a shortage of skilled workers!

Chamber of Crafts: Bremen on the rise despite a shortage of skilled workers!

The new economic report, which was presented at the Orléa car dealership on October 7, 2025, shows the first signs of a positive turnaround for the craft sector in Bremen. Representatives of the Chamber of Crafts, including president Thomas Kurzke and the new general manager Alexander Gündermann, analyzed the current situation and the challenges for companies in the region. “The automotive industry is very exciting,” Kurzke praised Orléa owner Ralf Orléa and pointed to the upward trend, although the general mood in the trades is not yet outstanding, as das-blv.de reports.

The shortage of skilled workers remains a major problem in the trades. Around 20.5% of the companies in Bremen stated that their business situation was developing well, while 58.4% rated it as satisfactory and 21.1% as poor. “Digitally positioned companies have a good hand,” said Gündermann, who underlined the importance of strong dual training. After all, 45,000 electrically powered cars went into operation in Germany in September, which also heralds a certain level of progress for domestic companies, as Orléa advocated for purely combustion engine technology to be gradually phased out.

Market development and outlook

But what are the sales expectations for the upcoming winter? According to the current report, 65.1% of companies are optimistic about the coming months. While 18.1% expect sales to increase, 16.9% fear sales will fall. The sales price development remains fairly stable; only 19.3% of the companies had to increase their prices. This data comes from a regularly conducted anonymous survey among companies in the state of Bremen, which takes place in both summer and winter.

In a complex context, the skilled workers monitoring of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) shows that the challenges in the labor market are diverse and pronounced. The analysis for the years 2024 to 2028 looks at the supply and demand for skilled workers and highlights relevant influencing factors such as digitalization and demographic changes. The forecasts indicate that the number of people in employment is likely to fall and immigration will not be sufficient to address the shortage of skilled workers, as bmas.de states.

Educational and economic structure in focus

Particular attention is paid to educational policy aspects. An alarming sign is the high dropout rates in educational institutions, especially among foreign citizens. Companies are faced with the challenge of ensuring the right qualifications for their workforce in order to meet the demands of the industry. Another aspect that skilled labor monitoring emphasizes is the influence of geopolitical situations on sales opportunities in the manufacturing sector, which is also reflected in the uncertainty in the construction industry.

The craft report in Bremen is framed by a mixture of light and shadow: While more than half of the companies report a positive business situation, there are still many who are concerned about the future. A targeted focus on securing skilled workers and the need for strong training structures are the key to stable economic development, as buten un binnen confirms. The next few months will show whether the upward trend in skilled trades actually continues and how well companies can deal with the existing challenges.