The economic importance of industry-oriented services in North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia’s economic structure is characterized – to a larger extent than in other regions or federal states – by change. The number of employees in the manufacturing industry in North Rhine-Westphalia has strongly decreased over the last decades, while the services sector has been growing in importance. Between 1991 and 2017 the number of employees in the services sector has increased by 46 % - more than in the rest of Germany. Main drivers of said development are the increasing international division of labor, as well as the technological development, especially in the field of information and communications.

The study thus aims to assess the economic importance of industry-oriented services in North Rhine-Westphalia. To that end, aside from a sectoral (industries) and a functional (occupational strucure) approach, ‘domestic’ connections (advance services and deliveries, global value-chains) of North Rhine-Westphalia’s industry-oriented services are taken into account, as well as their connections crossing federal borders. Self-conducted interviews and case studies allow for an in-depth review of the interconnectedness of North Rhine-Westphalia’s industry-oriented service providers.

Report (in German)