“The combination of a lack of orders and growing uncertainty is putting an increasing strain on the self-employed,” said ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber.
Just under half (48.4%) of the self-employed individuals and micro-enterprises with fewer than nine employees surveyed reported a lack of orders in April.
This means their situation has deteriorated slightly since the January survey (46.6%).
According to survey, the business climate has deteriorated significantly: after standing at -20.8 points in March, the index stood at a record low of -29.9 points in April.
The survey results showed assessments of the current situation and future expectations also declined significantly.
source : dpa
