“We used to celebrate factory openings. Today there are politicians who are happy when a company closes.” This statement by Roland Mack, founder and co-owner of Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, is more than just thought-provoking.
In an interview with the “New Zurich Newspaper(NZZ) the entrepreneur expresses concern about the economic situation in Germany. According to him, many authorities are nowadays almost relieved when a company closes its doors: “One less environmental problem,” they say.
“We used to be proud of the ‘Made in Germany’ label and of our economic growth,” says Mack. Now people have come to terms with the fact that Germany is losing two or three places every year. “Unfortunately, I have to say: things are really moving in the direction of deindustrialization.”
Economic expert: “The deindustrialization of Germany is in full swing”
The entrepreneur is not alone in this assumption. Since the energy price shock two and a half years ago, the economic model of the Federal Republic has been under scrutiny.
Due to high taxes, exorbitant energy prices and excessive bureaucracy, many traditional companies such as Miele and Stihl are moving their production abroad.
“The deindustrialization of Germany is in full swing,” says Harald Müller, Managing Director of the Bonn Business Academy (BWA). In an interview with the trade magazine “produktion.de” a few weeks ago, he said: “It’s no longer a question of whether, but only of how and how quickly.” It can be assumed that entire sectors of the economy will disappear from the country entirely.
This development has apparently already begun: In recent weeks and months there have been numerous reports of job cuts in the automotive industry, especially among suppliers.
For example, Continental has cut 7,000 jobs and closed several locations, Michelin is planning to cut 1,500 jobs, ZF Friedrichshafen is closing a location, and Volkswagen is planning to reduce costs by 20 percent by 2026.
Europa-Park founder: “We are looking for skilled workers in Asia, Eastern Europe or South Africa”
Other sectors are also affected: For example, the closure of the German plant of solar manufacturer Meyer Burger, which decided to expand into the USA due to competition from China, caused a stir.
But there is also hope: Roland Mack’s Europa-Park is booming – despite all the challenges. Demand is high, and visitor numbers are even significantly higher than in 2019, the best year so far, the entrepreneur tells the “NZZ”.
Mack’s company exports all over the world, opens more and more hotels – and is reaching its limits due to a lack of employees: “We need 500 employees for each new hotel. Because we cannot find them at the moment, we cannot immediately realize two hotels that have already been designed.”
The solution for Mack: foreign skilled workers. “Our demand is so great that we are now looking in Asia, Eastern Europe and South Africa,” says the entrepreneur. People from around a hundred nations now work for his amusement parks.
Mack: Uncontrolled immigration counterproductive for German economy
It is no secret among economic experts that skilled workers from abroad represent a promising solution to the coming decline in the workforce by 2035.
Just recently, economist Monika Schnitzer told ZDF: “If we want to have more jobs here, if we want to have more workers, then in the end that will only be possible through immigration.”
But not everyone sees it that way. The AfD, which gained strength in the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, for example, is relying on organic growth from its own population and rejects migration as a solution to the shortage of skilled workers – even though around 385,000 employees are expected to retire in Thuringia alone by 2035.
Roland Mack also believes this is a “dangerous development”. He can understand why people are turning away from established parties. Nevertheless, the entrepreneur would “feel much better if the AfD did not become even stronger”.
But Mack also stresses: “We especially need skilled workers.” Uncontrolled immigration is counterproductive for the German economy.
