The Office of the Austrian Productivity Board (Produktivitätsrat)
invites you to an online Seminar
with
Thilo
Kroeger and
Michael
Kogler, German Council of Economic Experts, on
15 July 2025.
Abstract The German economy has been experiencing structural change – a shift in economic activity from manufacturing to services – although the share
of manufacturing in gross value added has remained at a higher level than in other advanced economies since the 1990s. This is primarily a result of historical specialization and locational advantages. In the coming years, however, structural change will likely
accelerate, driven by changes in international trade relations, decarbonization, digitalization and AI, as well as demographic ageing. The impact of structural change especially on employment is heterogeneous across regions: While metropolitan areas and economically
strong rural regions benefit from positive agglomeration effects, disadvantaged regions (e.g., in East Germany) will likely face declining employment. In addition, regions that have been economically successful with a stable industry composition will also
be affected by structural change, in particular, if they have specialized in knowledge-intensive manufacturing industries. Policy options to mitigate regional adjustment frictions and to prevent structural unemployment include providing suitable and attractive
training opportunities for affected workers, investing in infrastructure and promoting technological progress with R&D investments.
Host
em. o. Univ. Prof. Dr. Christoph Badelt, Chairman of the Austrian Productivity Board
We look forward to having you join us at the Seminar.
Please feel free to
share this invitation with
colleagues or others who might be interested. If applicable, we would also appreciate it if you could inform colleagues involved in the work of your national productivity board.
Yours sincerely,
Austrian Productivity Board
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