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fromNina Luttmer
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shut down
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In terms of competitiveness, Frankfurt only ranks 4th out of the 30 largest cities in Germany. First place in particular caused astonishment.
Top: Berlin
Eleven years ago, Berlin was still in 24th place in terms of competitiveness, in 2017 the capital made it to second place and is now at the top. “Berlin has turned its capital bonus into tangible economic facts,” says HWWI director Vöpel. This is less due to political decisions than to private sector initiatives. Berlin is gaining residents – and is predicted to continue to do so. The productivity of workers in Berlin has recently increased significantly. The city also has a high proportion of foreign students (24.7 percent) and foreign employees (14.5 percent) – which is an incentive for international companies to settle there.
Good thing: Frankfurt am Main
In the three rankings from 2008 to 2013, Frankfurt always took the top spot. Those days are over. In the current survey, Frankfurt is only number four. One reason for this: productivity fell by 3.6 percentage points between 2013 and 2016, in this category the main metropolis ranks 28th out of 30 cities. In addition, the birth rate is relatively low compared to other large cities with 1.41 children per woman (average of 2015–2017). Nevertheless, the population development and the forecast for the city are very positive, the city also scores with great internationality and – thanks to the airport – very good accessibility.
Berlin displaces Munich from 1st place in the HWWI / Berenberg city ranking. Frankfurt is 4th place.
© obs / Berenberg
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Eastern tip: Leipzig
Leipzig is working rapidly forward: in the 2008 survey, the city was still in 25th place, made a huge leap to eleventh place two years later and now occupies second place, as it did in 2017. The city scores with a positive population development and forecast, many employees with a university degree and a relatively high proportion of employees in research and development. “Leipzig has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to innovation, accessibility and internationality,” says HWWI Director Vöpel. Only 5.6 percent of the city’s workforce are foreigners. Leipzig also has a large number of school leavers without a secondary school leaving certificate
Too local: Hamburg
Hamburg was worse off. In the 2013 ranking, the city only took eleventh place, now it is sixth again. “Hamburg suffers from a certain structural inertia due to the port,” says HWWI director Vöpel. What is surprising: Because of the port, Hamburg is said to be very international. The numbers do not prove this. Only 12.2 percent of the city’s workforce are foreigners – 20.7 percent in Frankfurt and 12.9 percent in Wuppertal, for example. Also, only 12.2 percent of students in Hamburg are foreigners – in Chemnitz it is 25.9 percent. Internationality is an important indicator to attract global companies to the city.
Flop: Gelsenkirchen
The Ruhr metropolis Gelsenkirchen does not get the curve: like three years ago it is at the bottom; even in the four surveys before it, it never got beyond 25th place. The forecasts for the city are unfavorable: According to forecasts, the number of people of working age will decline by ten percent by 2030 – more than in any other big city. The birth rate of 1.68 children per woman (average 2015 to 2017) is as high as only in Chemnitz. A problem with Gelsenkirchen is the level of education: ten percent of graduates left school in 2017 without a secondary school leaving certificate, and only 10.5 percent of the employees there have a university degree.
Rising star: Augsburg
Augsburg is the climber of the ranking. Three years ago, in 18th place, the Bavarian city worked its way up ten places. Between 2014 and 2017, the population increased by 4.2 percent – only Leipzig achieved a higher figure. Population growth of almost eleven percent is expected for Augsburg by 2030 – only three cities expect more. Augsburg can also shine with a high productivity increase: the gross domestic product generated per person employed rose by more than eleven percent between 2013 and 2016 – fifth place. Incidentally, Dresden holds first place with a plus of 15.1 percent. Augsburg’s big minus point: the city is difficult to reach.
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