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Statistisches Bundesamt

German Licensed Craft Trades Revenue Falls 1.4% in Q2 2026

German Licensed Craft Trades Revenue Falls 1.4% in Q2 2026

Wiesbaden – September 15, 2026 -- Real revenue in Germany's licensed craft trades sector fell 1.4% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported in preliminary figures. Employment in the sector dropped 1.9% by the end of June 2026 versus a year earlier.

Six of seven trade groups post revenue declines as construction and food sectors lead losses

The finishing trades, commercial-need trades and food trades each recorded the steepest real revenue drops among licensed craft groups, falling 2.4% year-on-year in the second quarter. Main construction trades saw revenue decline 1.8%, followed by private-need trades at -1.6% and the health trade at -1.0%. The automotive trade was the only group to post growth, with revenue rising 0.4%.

German Truck Toll Mileage Index Rises 0.6% in August 2026

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.