Economy in the Ruhr area: Insolvency is increasing - companies under pressure!

Economy in the Ruhr area: Insolvency is increasing - companies under pressure!

On April 30, 2025, the first “Report Ruhr area” was presented in Dortmund to analyze the current economic Situation in the middle class between Duisburg and Unna, including Herne. The presentation took place under the direction of Hartmut Irmer, Head of Sales at Creditreform Dortmund, as well as Romina Scharf, Syndicus lawyer, and Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch, press spokesman for the association of the association Creditreform. The report represents a worrying picture of the economic situation in the Ruhr area.

For Herne, a risk of failure of 2.79 percent was found in the report for 2024. This results from a high number of bankruptcies, since 73 out of 2,620 companies registered bankruptcy. The highest failure rate of 5.83 percent among companies with sales of over five million euros, where 103 companies were affected alone, is particularly alarming. This data illustrates the precarious location of many small and medium -sized companies in the Ruhr area, which often get into difficulties due to bureaucratic hurdles and increasing energy costs.

economic framework conditions deteriorate

The overall German economic situation is considered tense. Corporate insolvencies in North Rhine-Westphalia rose by 13.51 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year, the bankruptcy rate in NRW is 1.21 percent and is therefore significantly above the national average of 0.71 percent. The Ruhr area has an even higher bankruptcy rate of 1.64 percent, which has been increasing continuously for years. These trends were also reflected in the Ruhrbarone , where the shortage of skilled workers was identified as the greatest risk for companies in the region.

The economic report, which was presented in Bochum on October 20, 2023, showed that companies suffer from slower inflation, falling demand and challenging overall economic framework. Particularly noteworthy is the shortage of skilled workers, which 62 percent of companies perceive as a significant challenge. In 49 percent of companies, it is not possible in the long term to fill vacancies. This deficiency means that many companies, 66 percent, have to burden the existing workforce more to maintain their production.

forecasts for the future

Despite the tense situation, there are signs of a certain dynamic in the course of business. In 2024, 32,419 new foundations were recorded, while 29,108 companies were deregistered. These figures show that there is also a lively business in the region, despite the challenges. The forecast for 2025 shows a slight increase in the failure rate, but not as drastic as in previous years. The high failure and insolvency installment effects are not only due to the economic conditions, but also to the high number of small companies that are particularly vulnerable.

recommendations for companies are to regularly adapt their liquidity planning, to secure sufficient financing at an early stage and actively monitor possible default risks. In addition, the IHK representatives require an improvement in the political framework. IHK President Philipp Böhme emphasizes the need for political signals in view of the pessimism in the corporate landscape to stabilize the economic situation.