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Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - Most craft businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia have come through the Corona crisis well so far.
Compared to other areas of the economy, the craft "got off lightly," said the President of Handwerk NRW, Andreas Ehlert, in an online press conference on Friday.
A drop in sales of 4 percent is expected for the entire NRW trade in 2020, the number of employees is expected to have fallen by 3 percent.
The craft businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia employ around 1.15 million people.
Final figures are not yet available.
But there is a clear division between the individual industries, emphasized Ehlert.
"80 percent of the companies are doing pretty well."
In contrast, around a fifth have massive problems.
These companies have now largely used up their financial reserves.
The second lockdown hits them particularly hard.
According to Ehlert, the construction-related businesses are doing well, benefiting from a high order backlog.
The construction-related areas account for around 40 percent of total sales and employees in the NRW trade.
On the other hand, according to Ehlert, car dealerships, hairdressers and other companies that live from business in the store have major problems.
You urgently need an open perspective.
Therefore, "a good vaccination policy is the best economic policy".
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For those industries that could still work, day-care center and school closings are currently a massive problem, complained Ehlert.
"Small businesses in particular can quickly be paralyzed if there is a loss of staff due to a lack of support options."
That is why more creativity is needed in supervision and school operations.
The bridging aid would have to be approved and paid out more quickly, demanded Ehlert.
The application procedures are too bureaucratic.
For businesses that, like hairdressers, have only been affected by the lockdown since December, there is “a real funding gap”.
In order to help the companies in the long term, however, tax breaks are necessary, said the craftsman's president.