#madeinhamburg podcast highlights crafts sector

The present challenges are "enormous", according to Stemmann. Although the pandemic-induced lockdowns have largely been overcome recently, the war in Ukraine is leading to new challenges. Robert Habeck, Germany's Minister of Economics, announced the second phase of the emergency gas plan in late June. "We have industries that are highly reliant on gas and are very concerned." Others are not directly impacted, but the development raises many new issues. In reference to the overall economic developments, the Chamber of Crafts and the senate are collaborating to prepare the sector and its 100,000 employees for the future, Stemmann stressed. The Masterplan Handwerk 2030 is an important tool in Hamburg's SME policy as it highlights issues such as qualifications, skilled workers, innovation and digitalisation.

"Coronavirus has boosted digitalisation and that is one of the few positive consequences of the pandemic. We want to jump on that bandwagon," Stemmann stressed. The Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Hamburg, for instance, lends practical support to companies with all digitalisation issues. "Seminars or company tours show how firms are achieving digital solutions and across sectors." A look beyond the rim can be inspiring as "it gives you ideas that can then be transferred to your own company. A firm that seizes the opportunities of digitalisation and uses them to its advantage, attracts young people, who in turn often become catalysts of digitalisation, he noted.

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