In the second quarter of 2026, the real revenue for licensed trades in Germany dropped by 1.4% compared to the same period last year. According to provisional results released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), employment in these licensed sectors at the end of June 2026 was 1.9% lower than at the end of June 2025.
Regarding the sectors with the steepest revenue declines in licensed trades during Q2 2026, the expansion sector, crafts for commercial demand, and the food industry each saw a reduction of 2.4%. The main construction industry recorded an 1.8% revenue decrease, followed by crafts for private demand at -1.6%, and the health sector at -1.0%. The only increase noted in this group was within the automotive trade, which rose by 0.4%.
Overall, employment across the seven groups of licensed crafts declined by 1.9% between the end of June 2025 and the end of June 2026. The food industry experienced the sharpest employment reduction at -3.5%, while the health sector saw the smallest drop at -0.8%.
Statistics also showed that unlicensed trades generated 0.8% less real revenue in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the prior year. However, there was a growth of 0.6% in crafts for commercial demand. Conversely, real revenues in crafts for private demand fell by 2.6%. The highest revenue decreases in the unlicensed sector were recorded in the food industry (-4.5%) and in the main construction industry (-4.1%).
