Expertise

Economy & Labour

Developing change sustainably and with vision.

Today, the only constant for the economy and labour is change. (De-)Globalisation, demographic development, decarbonisation and digitalisation are constantly reshaping framework conditions – regionally, nationally and internationally. Geopolitical and trade cooperation are being put to the test, value and supply chains need to be reorganised while the urgently needed transformation to climate neutrality is only just beginning. In Germany, this is compounded by an ageing population.

This gives rise to many questions: can ecological solutions be combined with economic opportunities? Which sectors will prosper tomorrow and where will skilled labour become scarce? What does a labour market that promotes growth, prosperity, sustainability and social participation look like?

We facilitate change and transformation: with well-founded analyses and advice on all relevant topics from the fields of Macroeconomics, Work & Skilled Labour, Cohesion Policy, (De-)Globalisation as well Green Economy & Circular Economy.

Macroeconomics


The one constant in modern economies: change. In a dynamic environment, businesses and states must maintain an overview.

Work & Skilled Labour


Structural change, demography, digitalization – the labour market is undergoing massive change. Securing skilled labour is a central challenge.

Cohesion Policy


Structural and transformation policy make regions competitive and stimulate structural change by setting clear objectives and involving stakeholders.

(De-)Globalisation


The globalisation dynamic has been over for some time. We give orientation to industry and politics in uncertain times.

Green Economy & Circular Economy


Sustainable, decarbonised and circular – the green economy and circular economy unite ecological solutions with economic opportunities.

Our work on this topic

Take a look at our latest projects and activities.

Economic potential of the green tech sector in Bavaria

2024
| Project

How powerful is the green tech industry in Bavaria? What is its economic significance? We examined these questions on behalf of the vbw using our envigos model.

New procurement markets for the German economy – update 2024

2024
| Project

German industry can increase the resilience of its supply chains by sourcing its intermediate products from different countries. We have analyzed these new procurement markets.

New markets for the export sector – 2024 update

2024
| Project

Even if the global trade in goods is no longer growing, there are still promising markets for German business. We present 13 potential markets in Asia and Latin America.

Skilled workers for the energy transition

2024
| Project

How many laborers and skilled workers will Germany need for the green transformation of its economy? We examined this question on behalf of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Mid-term evaluation of the public sector loan facility

ongoing
| Project

The Public Sector Loan Facility is an EU financing instrument to ensure a socially just transition to climate neutrality in the regions. Prognos and partners are evaluating the instrument.

Future governance of EU Cohesion Policy after 2027

2024
| Project

With the involvement of relevant stakeholders, Prognos and partners developed conclusions for the further development of European structural funding after 2027.

Internationalisation of the environmental technology industry in Baden-Württemberg

2024
| Project

The Baden-Württemberg Agency for Environmental Technology (UTBW) supports companies based in Baden-Württemberg in the internationalisation and export of environmental technology. Prognos provided the market information.

Support for the Saxony-Anhalt Citizens' Advisory Board on Structural Change

ongoing
| Project

Prognos supports the Citizens' Advisory Council in incorporating the perspectives of the population into decision-making processes and advises the responsible staff unit of the State Chancellery.

A greener economy through green finance

2024
| Project

With green finance, greenhouse gases in Austria can be reduced by up to four per cent by 2040 – in the bond market alone. This is the result of our study commissioned by the Ministry for Climate Action.

Resilience and sovereignty of German industry

ongoing
| Project

German industry is dependent on raw materials and preliminary products from abroad. On behalf of the Netzwerk Zukunft der Industrie e. V., Prognos analyses the supply chains and provides recommendations for action.

Salon M

| Event

At Salon M, a dialogue and networking platform, Prognos CEO Christian Böllhoff will discuss the topic “The Impact of Global Players’ Communication on Shaping a New European Narrative“ with high-profile guests.

Moldova Trade Forum 2024

| Event

Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer will give the keynote speech on ‘Expanding export markets for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)’ at the Moldova Trade Forum 2024.

North Rhine-Westphalia Green Economy Report 2024

2024
| Project

The green economy is a driving force in North Rhine-Westphalia. Both gross value added and the number of people in employment are increasing at a faster rate than in other sectors of the economy.

Conversion of the automotive industry: How employment is changing

2024
| Project

The automotive industry is undergoing fundamental change. How does this effect employment? And what will it mean for the individual professions? We investigated this on behalf of the VDA.

Green Tech Atlas 2025

ongoing
| Project

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Prognos compiled the Green Tech Atlas 2025. The atlas provides a comprehensive overview of the cross-sectional environmental tech-nology and resource efficiency industries.

C4T final forum

| Event

The Cohesion for Transitions (C4T) platform aims to support structurally weak regions on the path to climate neutrality. The forum will take stock of the programme: What has been achieved so far and where do we go from here?

The economic and social situation of the creative industries

2024
| Project

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Prognos and partner analysed the economic and social situation of self-employed solo artists in creative professions.

Clusters meet Regions: Charleroi

-
| Event

As part of our work for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer presents an input paper on the on the Walloon Region and its clusters.

Impact of global crises on regional labour markets

ongoing
| Project

A shrinking workforce, digitalisation and decarbonisation: Prognos examines the specific effects of global trends on regional labour markets.

NetworkNature Annual Conference 2024

| Event

Greta Dekker will be attending the NetworkNature annual conference and talking to the specialist audience about nature-based solutions.

Evaluation of the ERDF programmes of several federal states

ongoing
| Project

How effectively do the federal states utilise ERDF funding? Prognos supports various federal states with the evaluation of their ERDF programmes.

Presentation of the study on the economic and social situation in the cultural and creative industries

| Event

The results of our study on the economic and social situation of solo self-employed and hybrid workers in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) will be presented at the event.

Evaluation of ERDF funding for SMEs

ongoing
| Project

How effective is EU support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)? On behalf of the European Commission, Prognos evaluates together with CSIL the ERDF funding in the period from 2014 to 2020.

Industry Conference 2024

| Event

Together with the Alliance for the Future of Industry, the BMWK is organising the Industry Conference 2024, where Michael Astor will present initial interim findings from our study on the resilience and sovereignty of German industry.

Germany Potential Index: Digitalisation to counter the skilled-worker shortage

2024
| Project

The skilled-worker shortage is only due to get worse in the future. Our Potential Index shows: Increased digitalisation can help to cushion the negative consequences of the skilled-worker shortage in Germany.

Guest article in SPIEGEL: How Europe's economy can catch up with the USA and China

2024
| Expertise

A race to catch up - this is what Europe needs if it is not to be left behind by the USA and China. In the SPIEGEL guest article, Christian Böllhoff calls for a new match plan with clear priorities for the new EU legislative period.

Prognos Economic Outlook® (PEO®)

ongoing
| Project

In uncertain times, there is a growing demand for orientation. PEO® delivers independent figures. Based on our wolrd economy model we project the developments until 2045.

Evaluation of the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM)

2024
| Project

The Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) strengthens the innovative power of small and medium-sized enterprises. This is shown by our evaluation for the BMWK.

Employers’ attractiveness according to parents and carers

2024
| Project

Employees want tailor-made reconciliation measures that ensure work-life balance and not to face professional disadvantage as a result of their care work. These were the findings of our study for the BMFSFJ.

Significance of the German economy for Europe

2024
| Project

Growth in the German economy benefits the whole of Europe. Our study for the vbw shows that this is due to the size of the economy and its strong foreign trade networks.

Guidelines: With Sustainable Governance to successful sustainability reporting

2024
| Project

We have produced guidelines for successful sustainability reporting in accordance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive for an industry association. The second guide is dedicated to the topic of "Sustainability Governance".

Guideline: Data management for successful sustainability reporting

2024
| Project

We have produced guidelines for successful sustainability reporting in accordance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive for an industry association. The third guide deals with data management in accordance with the CSRD.

Web tool: Risk analysis for sustainable supply chains

2024
| Project

Prognos develops a tool for an industry association that enables member companies to carry out risk analyses to identify sustainability risks in countries and sectors.

AI players in the federal state

2024
| Project

Which companies are already using or developing artificial intelligence? Which companies would benefit from the use of AI? Prognos created an interactive dashboard for one federal state.

Study on Poverty and income inequality in the context of the digital transformation

2024
| Project

The study for the European Commission examines the impact of digitalisation on the employment situation in the individual member states as well as on the EU economy as a whole.

Regulatory requirements for carbon accounting

2024
| Project

Which carbon accounting requirements will businesses have to be aware of in the future and what, specifically, will present the greatest challenge?

Germany: Industry sectors put to the test

2024
| Expertise

Mechanical engineering, the automotive industry, pharmaceuticals: In which sectors is Germany still a leader? On behalf of the Handelsblatt, we examined how successfully Germany is holding its own against its international competitors.

2nd Cohesion for Transitions Conference & Meetings

-
| Event

Our colleagues are travelling to the conference as part of their work for the Cohesion for Transitions (C4T) platform and are chairing both a meeting of the science network and a working group.

Developing the Rhein-Kreis Neuss economic development strategy

2024
| Project

Rhein-Kreis Neuss is focusing on more innovative economic development to strengthen its business location. Prognos was instrumental in the development of the new strategy.

Development of a group-wide raw materials strategy

2024
| Project

Our retail industry client commissioned us to develop a group-wide raw materials concept. We assisted the company from conception stage right through to the launch of the interactive web tool.

Decarbonisation of the automotive industry

2024
| Project

Digitalisation, decarbonisation, electrification: The German automotive industry faces major challenges. Prognos led the accompanying research to the carbon assessment of the auto industry value chain, on behalf of the BMWK.

Hybrid seminar on cohesion policy support for RTDI

| Event

Prognos and its partners are organising a hybrid seminar on the evaluation of cohesion policy support for research, technological development and innovation (RTDI).

Future-proof strategies for Europe

2024
| Project

Germany and Europe are trying to find their place in the New World Order. Prognos examined four foreign trade strategies for the vbw.

Five challenges: How Europe remains competitive in the future

2024
| Expertise

What needs to happen for Europe to survive in global competition? We analysed this at the “12 Minutes Europe – Meeting Global Challenges” event organised by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

Economic impact analysis for selected SDGs

2024
| Project

A foundation group commissioned us to use KPIs to visualise the impact of its activities within identified focus SDGs.

Supervision of sustainability reporting in accordance with the CSRD

ongoing
| Project

We offered guidance to a group from the publishing industry setting up sustainability reporting that complies with the Corporate Social Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Guidance for CSRD-compliant materiality analysis

2023
| Project

An industry association commissioned us to create a guide to successfully implement the materiality analysis for its member companies in accordance with the new European CSRD directive.

CO2 amortisation of photovoltaic modules and storage

2023
| Project

The product range of an energy company was analysed in terms of various sustainability criteria, in particular climate impact, and its CO2 amortisation calculated.

Harnessing Talent Platform: Technical support in progress

2024
| Project update

The Harnessing Talent Platform supports selected regions within the EU that are particularly affected by demographic change and the brain drain. The technical support that Prognos is providing in some regions has now been launched with kick-off meetings.

European Cluster Conference 2024

-
| Event

The European Cluster Conference 2024 brings the key players in the European cluster economy together in one place. The Prognos team around Head of EU-Services Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer is providing input both as part of our work for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform and for the NRW.innovativ competence centre.

We take you further.

Our services.

We provide high quality work. Using sound methods, we analyse economic and political developments. For projects and processes, we provide solution-oriented and empathetic support. We have over 60 years of experience in a wide range of disciplines and provide consultancy with vision and expertise.

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