Gero Kunath

Economist for China, emerging markets and securing skilled labor

Tel: +49 221 4981-568 Mail: Kunath@iwkoeln.de Gero Kunath

At the IW since 2022
Studies of economics at the universities of Cologne and Lund
Economist in the thematic clusters International Economic Policy, Financial and Real Estate Markets, and Vocational Qualification and Skilled Workforce.
Research interests: Foreign trade, emerging markets, China, vocational qualification, skilled labor.

Research unit

International Economic Policy, Financial and Real Estate Markets

IW Publications

Matthes, Jürgen / Kunath, Gero / Sultan, Samina, 2026, Globale Ungleichgewichte – Wo liegen die größten Anpassungslasten?, Gutachten gefördert vom Auswärtigen Amt, Köln, IW-Report, Nr. 28, Köln
Zur Studie

Quispe, Valeria / Kunath, Gero / Köhne-Finster, Sabine / Werner, Dirk, 2025, Berechnung von Fachkräfteengpässen nach Wirtschaftszweigen. Methodik und Ergebnisse einer methodischen Erweiterung der IW-Fachkräftedatenbank, IW-Report, Nr. 55, Köln
Zur Studie

Kunath, Gero, 2025, Debt-fuelled growth in China and local govern-ment indebtedness. The consequences of an unbalanced economic growth model, IW-Report, Nr. 35, Köln
Zur Studie

Leininger, Gesina / Pierenkemper, Sarah / Werner, Dirk / Zifle, Luena / Arndt, Franziska / Kunath, Gero, 2025, Anerkennung ausländischer Berufsabschlüsse aus Unternehmenssicht. Status quo, Chancen und Herausforderungen sowie Handlungsbedarf, Gutachten im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, IW-Report, Nr. 8, Köln
Zur Studie

Sultan, Samina / Kunath, Gero / Förster, Henrik / Matthes, Jürgen, 2024, Indonesien. Ein neuer indo-pazifischer Partner?, IW-Report, Nr. 9, Köln
Zur Studie

Grömling, Michael / Koenen, Michelle / Kunath, Gero / Obst, Thomas / Parthie, Sandra, 2022, AIECE General Report Autumn 2022 Part I, IW-Report, Nr. 65, Köln / Berlin / Brüssel
Zur Studie

Kunath, Gero / Matthes, Jürgen / Obst, Thomas, 2022, Biden’s economic agenda risks mid-term elections. An analysis of Biden’s economic agenda and its effects on the American econo-my, IW-Report, Nr. 59, Köln / Berlin
Zur Studie

Koenen, Michelle / Kunath, Gero / Obst, Thomas, 2022, Europa an der Schwelle zur Rezession?, IW-Report, Nr. 40, Berlin
Zur Studie

External Publications

Matthes, Jürgen / Grömling, Michael / Demary, Markus / Kauder, Björn / Busch, Berthold / Kunath, Gero / Obst, Thomas, 2023, Why Price Stability Matters, Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Brussels, 83 Seiten
Zur Studie

Grömling, Michael / Koenen, Michelle / Kunath, Gero / Obst, Thomas / Parthie, Sandra, 2023, Deindustrialisation – A European Assessment, in: Intereconomics, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 209-214
Zur Studie

More from Gero Kunath

IW-Report No. 28 19. June 2026 Jürgen Matthes / Gero Kunath / Samina Sultan

Global Imbalances - Where Are the Greatest Adjustment Burdens?

Global imbalances have increased over the past few years. This applies in particular to the latest increase in China's current account surplus, and to the higher current account deficit of the United States.

IW-Report No. 55 8. November 2025 Valeria Quispe et al.

Calculation of skilled labor shortages by economic sector

Since 2020, the German Economic Institute (IW) has been calculating the shortages of skilled workers in Germany with a uniquely developed methodology (Burstedde et al., 2020).

IW-Report No. 35 16. July 2025 Gero Kunath

Debt-fuelled growth in China and local government indebtedness

The Chinese economy has experienced strong economic growth for more than four decades since the implementation of the Open Door Policy in 1978. The local governments of the Chinese provinces played a decisive role in implementing the ambitious development goals envisioned by the central government.

IW-Report No. 9 3. March 2025 Gesina Leininger et al.

Recognition of foreign professional qualifications company perspective

The report highlights the importance of recognising foreign professional qualifications for securing skilled workers from the perspective of companies in Germany.

IW-Report No. 9 15. February 2024 Samina Sultan et al.

Indonesia: A new Indo-Pacific partner?

Indonesia will elect a new president on 14 February. After ten successful years in office, Joko Widodo is not allowed to run for office again. He has ushered in an era of reform in the country.

External Publication

Deindustrialisation – A European Assessment

External Publication 17. October 2023 Michael Grömling et al.

Deindustrialisation – A European Assessment

The war in Ukraine has exacerbated pre-existing production problems in manufacturing networks originating from the coronavirus pandemic. Material shortages are compounded by uncertainties about sufficient energy supplies.

IW-Report No. 65 5. December 2022 Michael Grömling et al.

AIECE General Report Autumn 2022 - Part I

Private households, companies and governments in Europe are facing enormous challenges. First, far-reach-ing transformations in economic life are on the horizon for the current decade and beyond. Demographic developments are exacerbating the shortages of skilled workers that already exist in many economies and reinforcing the associated obstacles to production.

IW-Report No. 59 8. November 2022 Gero Kunath / Jürgen Matthes / Thomas Obst

Biden’s economic agenda risks mid-term elections

President Joe Biden faces some political and economic headwinds in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections this year. Current economic challenges include historically high inflation rates and signs of an impending recession.

IW-Report No. 40 11. August 2022 Michelle Koenen / Gero Kunath / Thomas Obst

Europe on the brink of recession?

The European Union is facing one of its biggest crises since the financial crisis of 2008. The pandemic started in 2020 and led to a historical economic downturn in the second quarter of that year.