Rhineland-Palatinate

Mainz (dpa / lrs) – There were fewer company start-ups in Rhineland-Palatinate last year. “The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation and jumps in interest rates have also left their mark on the start-up landscape in Rhineland-Palatinate,” said Arne Rössel, chief executive of the IHK working group Rhineland-Palatinate, on Thursday in Mainz. “Due to the various crises, it is not surprising that the number of start-ups has declined somewhat.”

However, because there are still more start-ups than business closures in Rhineland-Palatinate, an increase in companies has been recorded in the state for the fourth time in a row, reported Rössel at the presentation of the start-up report Rhineland-Palatinate 2023. There were a total of 31,493 business registrations and 27,381 business deregistrations . Rhineland-Palatinate recorded an increase of 4112 companies last year.

However, changes are pending in a number of established companies in the state, emphasized the general manager of the IHK for Rheinhessen, Günter Jertz. In the next five years, up to 9,000 companies in Rhineland-Palatinate will be taken over. Due to the demographic development, this number is expected to significantly exceed the proportion of young people who dare to become self-employed.

“It is therefore crucial that we bring founders in our federal state forward together,” warned Jertz. “It must be easy to found a company here in Rhineland-Palatinate.” Politicians should therefore lower bureaucratic and tax hurdles and support the step into self-employment with tailor-made financial aid.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:230831-99-26121/2