Kamenz (dpa/sn) – Saxony’s handicraft businesses got through the winter well. In the first quarter of 2022, an increase in sales of 15.5 percent compared to the same period last year was recorded, as the State Statistical Office announced on Tuesday. The construction industry accounted for the largest share with an increase of almost 28 percent, followed by the motor vehicle trade (plus 16.7 percent).
In the business for private use, which is dominated by the hairdressers branch, there was even an increase of 41.8 percent. The 65.5 percent increase in the hairdressing sector can be explained by the fact that they were only allowed to work part-time in the first quarter of 2021 due to the pandemic. According to the statistics office, part of the increase in sales was also achieved through price increases.
On the other hand, the number of people employed in Saxon handicrafts is declining. In the first quarter of 2022, there were a total of 0.8 percent fewer employees than in the same period of the previous year. With the exception of the healthcare sector (plus 1.8 percent), all commercial groups have fewer employees than in the first quarter of the previous year. The hairdressing industry had to cope with the biggest decline (minus 5.4 percent).
