<img id="article-image" fetchpriority="high" alt="Economic situation in the Esslingen district: The economic downturn also affects people with disabilities” title=”Economic situation in the Esslingen district: The economic downturn also affects people with disabilities” src=”https://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/media.media.82778bfe-aaa7-44ad-a96b-ca7bcf1fa8b7.16x9_700.jpg” data-linkto=”[data-type=” slider=””/> One task in the WEK operating rooms is the packaging and labeling of components. Photo: Workshops Esslingen Kirchheim
The slump in industry is increasingly having an impact on other economic areas in the Esslingen district. This is noticed not only by industry-related service providers such as management consultants, but also by workshops for people with disabilities.
They mill metal, assemble components, cut cables to the right length and do much more on behalf of regional industrial companies: the employees with disabilities at the Esslingen-Kirchheim workshops (WEK). But instead of standing at the workbench, they have been taking part in various educational offerings more and more frequently in the last few weeks. “We have seen a 30 percent decline in orders since September,” says Volker Ditzinger, the managing director of the social enterprise group, which employs around 500 people with disabilities. The feedback from other providers in the Esslingen district is similar. The slump in the manufacturing industry is now also noticeable in the workshops for people with disabilities.
