In 2024, the approximately 564,000 skilled trades businesses (Handwerk) in Germany generated a total revenue of 762 billion euros. According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), overall revenue saw a 0.6 percent decline, and the number of trades businesses declined by 0.7 percent compared to the previous year. Annually, there were around 6.0 million people employed in trades in 2024. This number included 4.1 million employees under mandatory social insurance and 1.3 million marginally employed individuals.
When examining performance by company size, larger trades businesses-those with 50 or more employees-experienced a revenue increase of 3.4 percent. In contrast, smaller trades businesses (those with fewer than five employees) reported a significant revenue drop of 15.1 percent.
The construction sector is particularly important for the trades. In 2024, nearly two-thirds (65.2 percent) of all companies within the construction industry were trades businesses. The most significant group, both in terms of company count, employed persons, and revenue, is the build-out and modernization sector (Ausbaugewerbe). In 2024, the 213,000 trades companies in this sector generated 213 billion euros with 1.6 million working people. However, both the number of companies and revenue dropped in this group, falling by 2.1 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year. A direct comparison for the employed population is not possible due to a change in methodology.
Revenue performance varied significantly across different business groups in 2024. The health services sector was the largest revenue booster, showing a 4.1 percent increase year-over-year. Other sectors that saw strong growth included the motor vehicle services industry, which increased by 3.3 percent. Conversely, while the food service sector saw a minor rise of 0.6 percent, several key areas experienced losses. These included the build-out sector (-3.2 percent), trades for commercial needs (-2.0 percent), and the main construction sector (-1.2 percent).
Overall, the trades accounted for 7.8 percent of the total economy’s revenue in 2024, marking an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous year. Regarding employment statistics, trades represented 12.7 percent of all employees covered by mandatory social insurance in Germany. Furthermore, trades businesses made up 15.9 percent of all companies operating in the country.
