Germany’s industrial landscape is painting a deeply uneven picture this week. While carmaker Opel and weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall are locking in long-term production and hiring, the steel, chemical and logistics sectors are shedding jobs at an alarming rate — and the government is scrambling to shore up digital infrastructure against the backdrop of a deepening structural shift.
Opel’s parent company Stellantis confirmed Monday that the next-generation Astra will be developed and built exclusively at the Rüsselsheim headquarters. The decision, part of a multi-billion-euro investment programme that funnels over €1 billion into German sites by 2030, directly safeguards roughly 1,350 jobs in Hesse. The new model, based on the STLA-One platform, is slated to hit the market toward the end of the decade. Apprentices currently in training are guaranteed positions until winter
Hesse’s economy minister, Mansoori, called the announcement a “glimmer of hope,” and Rüsselsheim’s mayor, Burghardt, described it as a “long-awaited decision.” Yet the relief is tempered: a previously announced job cut at the development centre — affecting about 650 employees — remains on track. The plant currently runs a single shift producing the Astra L. Opel also plans at least four new models before 2030, including an electric Corsa successor and a compact SUV that will roll off the line in Saragossa, Spain, from 2028.
The contrast is stark in other heavy industries. Saarland’s minister president, Rehlinger, on Monday urged Chancellor Merz to honour commitments to fund the region’s switch to green steel. The project carries a price tag of more than €4 billion, with €2.6 billion expected to come from state subsidies. According to IG Metall and local works councils, the initiative is under severe pressure. A demonstration is scheduled for June 12 in Völklingen. The steel sector directly employs 12,000 people and supports another 20,000 indirectly. Production fell to 34.1 million tonnes in 2025 — its lowest level since 2009 — while Thyssenkrupp is cutting around 11,000 positions in a restructuring drive.
Two pieces of positive news emerge from northern Germany. The Bundeswehr plans to buy 35 “Schakal” wheeled armoured personnel carriers for roughly €650 million and 23 “Büffel” recovery vehicles for around €360 million, with delivery scheduled for 2032 and 2033. Rheinmetall and KNDS are involved. Rheinmetall intends to expand its Kassel workforce to about 3,000 by 2029 — a clear counterpoint to the broader industrial caution.
Meanwhile, the state and network operators have sealed a pact called “Bestes Netz für Deutschland,” committing €8.5 billion to fibre-optic expansion this year alone. An additional €2.4 billion will be poured into mobile networks by 2027. The target is to add around 3.2 million new fibre connections in 2026.
Yet automation is claiming jobs in logistics. At the NTB container terminal in Bremerhaven, Eurogate and APM Terminals plan a sweeping automation programme that will eliminate roughly 500 of the 1,000 positions. The €1 billion investment aims to lift capacity to 4 million standard containers (TEU). Completion is expected in the third quarter.
The chemicals sector is also trimming. Dow Chemical announced Monday that it will cut about 110 of 1,100 jobs at its Stade site, part of a global efficiency programme that eliminates roughly 4,500 positions worldwide.
