[HIGHLIGHTS] Almost every second self-employed person complains about a lack of orders

Almost every second self-employed person complains about a lack of orders. 47.9 percent reported this in January, after 45.3 percent in October.

“The backlog of orders for the self- employed is literally melting away,” said Ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber. Europe's largest economy shrank by 0.3percent last year. According to the federal government's draft annual economic report, in 2024 there will only be a mini-plus of 0.2 percent.