The figures of tunover, occuption and foreign trade are weighing heavily on the sectors. Especially clothing shows the downtrend with often binary rates. Because of the lockdown of December 2020 there will be no improvement ahead. Textiles improve somewhat punctionally, but far behind the figures of 2019. In addition the estimates for the coming months are negative, this is true for both sectors of the industry, thus altogether no sign for a bottoming out as also thew exports cannot express positive impulses for the two setors.
Turnover figures sank for the two sectors in November 2020 by 4.9 %. Clothing showed an accellerating rate of -22.3 %, whereas textiles added slightly (4.5 %), however from a low basis in 2019. Cumulated this backlash is considerably high, tunrover just before the year ends shows 12.0 % les tunrover, Textiles lost so far -7.8 %, and clothing – 19.0 %. It is forecast that the December 2020 figures will continue to be negative.
Also the development of employment is sinking, however a bit slowed down. In total and in November 2020 there were less 6.8 % less people employed as in comparison with 2019. There was also a loss of jobs in the segment of textiles (-4.9 %) and in clothing -10.6 %. Short time work and dormant employment relationships are not included in these figures.
Domestic production sank during 2020 markedly, particularly in clothing: -21.1 % less was produced, in textiles -9.7 %.
Order intake was also decreasing, however not so strongly as in the first half of 2020, textiles had a slight surplus. For the entire 2020 negative figures do result: Textiles -8.4 %, Clothing -13.1 %.
Production prices remain slightly unchanged.
Turnover of special retailing sank accentuated: -23.9 % for clothing, in the first 11 months the turnover in special retailing decreased by 22.8 %. In turn, total German retail turnover increeased in November by 5.3 %.
The situation in foreign trade is for clothing also in November behind the slight improving trend of the total external trade of Germany. The clothing exports show -18.2 %. Textiles improve slightly, but the export is still 3.5 % below 2019. The import shows a high demand for protective masks and similar textile articles, leading to an import plus of 49.6 % in November, by contrast, clothing imports decreased by 8.3 %.
The import surplus increased by November by +40.7 %.
The raw material imports sank as against 2019 by 20.5 %.
Ifo Economic Climate Index in January 2021
The relevant survey results of the total industry are sinking after an intermediate high at the end of 2020. This trend reflects also the textile industry, however more pessimistic and reflecting the persistant economic conditions and the Covid measures, all in all not surprising. Questionably these Ifo figures do not only refelect the economic situation, but particularly also the short time estimates are for both sectors more negative than in October. This shows that firms of the Textile and Clothing industry are declaring their economic forecasts are markedly more pessimistic than the total German industry.