Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

That German has a special word – Mittelstand – for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an indication of their role at the core of the German economy. SMEs – defined as having a workforce of between 50 and 500 –provide more than three quarters of all jobs and eight out of ten vocational training places.

Klaus-Heiner Röhl ·
IW-Analyse ·
14 Jun 2017

European SME Policy

The European Union policy and regulation influence the almost 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and similarly structured larger companies in the 28 member countries in many different ways. So far, however, attempts at a distinct EU SME policy have remained fragmentary.

Klaus-Heiner Röhl ·
IW-Policy Paper ·
31 May 2017

European SME Policy: Recommendations for a Growth-Oriented Agenda

As a result of the European debt crisis, start-ups and established small and medium-sized companies have returned into focus for policy-makers in Brussels. They hope that SMEs create more jobs and growth. Despite this, the concerns of SMEs are still not at the heart of economic policy and regulation.

Christoph Schröder ·
IW-Trends ·
20 Sep 2016

An International Comparison of Industrial Labour Costs

In 2015 labour costs in western German manufacturing industry were 40.90 euros per employee-hour, putting the region sixth out of a total of 44 countries in the IW labour cost comparison. Its labour costs are almost a quarter higher than the average for highly industrialised nations.

Vera Demary / Michael Grömling / Galina Kolev / Jürgen Matthes ·
IW-Policy Paper ·
27 Apr 2016

Prosperity in a Changing World

Structural change and economic growth

Structural Change ·
IW News ·
26 Apr 2016

Manufacturing or services: What trumps?

Structural change is pervasive and affects economies worldwide – some for the worse, many for the better. In order to reap the benefits promised by structural change, many countries have tried to strengthen their service sectors. A new study presented by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW) shows: They are playing their cards wrong.