Business climate brightens

The business situation is as good as it was last in May 2019, and the two-year high in incoming orders is also causing the Bitkom-ifo Digital Index to rise sharply again. It tracks the business climate and is calculated from the current business situation and expectations for the coming six months. The digital index rose by 8.9 points to 26.0 in April, approaching the level seen before the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Business expectations also improved significantly, turning back into positive territory from -4.1 to 5.5 points. This means that the majority of companies no longer expect orders to decline in the coming six months, but rather to develop positively. The biggest obstacle to business in the industry continues to be the lack of skilled workers.