Background

Orders received is a leading indicator for cyclical developments. The figures are compiled monthly by the Federal Statistical Office and published both as a value index and as a volume index for the manufacturing and construction sectors respectively. For the manufacturing sector, indices of the stock of orders (ie unfilled orders) are also provided. The estimated construction costs of building permits granted for structural engineering work also indicates the level of economic movement to be expected in that sector.

Seasonally and calendar-adjusted as well as solely calendar-adjusted time series are provided in addition to the unadjusted figures. Real-time data are available for selected indicators.

Orders received by industry

The index of orders received by industry, which is calculated every month by the Federal Statistical Office, represents the value of all orders for the delivery of internally produced goods confirmed by enterprises in the respective reporting period. Enterprises with 50 or more employees report these statistics, but only in order-based sectors. The results are broken down by main industrial grouping and economic sector as well as region of origin (domestic and foreign split into euro area and non-euro area). Orders received are also shown excluding large orders.

Stock of orders in industry

The stock of orders in industry index, which is calculated every month by the Federal Statistical Office, represents the value of all  orders received by enterprises up to the end of the respective reporting period which have not yet been completed, have been confirmed and have not been cancelled. As with orders received, these statistics are only reported by enterprises in order-based industry with 50 or more employees. Once again, as with orders received, the results are broken down by main industrial grouping and economic sector. However, the region of origin is only broken down into the categories “domestic” and “foreign”.

Orders received by the construction sector

The orders received by the construction sector, as calculated by the Federal Statistical Office, represent the value (excluding VAT) of all confirmed orders for construction work in the relevant reporting month. Construction firms with more than 20 employees report these statistics.

Building permits granted for structural engineering work

The indicator of building permits granted for structural engineering work shows the estimated construction costs of all construction work in the buildings segment  requiring a permit in Germany within a reporting period. It is calculated every month by the Federal Statistical Office from administrative documents provided by construction supervisory bodies and constructors.