North Rhine-Westphalia industry revenue remains stable despite employment drop

Industrial companies in North Rhine-Westphalia with 50 or more employees reported a nominal revenue of 173 billion euros for the first six months of 2026. This represents a marginal decrease of 0.1% compared to the same period in 2025. While domestic revenue rose by 0.9%, international revenue saw a decline of 1.2%.

Sector performance was mixed. Metal production and processing was the only top industry to report a revenue increase, rising 5.6% to 21.0 billion euros. Other major sectors experienced declines, including metal product manufacturing (down 5.6% to 13.7 billion euros), food and feed production (down 3.5% to 19.7 billion euros), and mechanical engineering (down 2.3% to 22.7 billion euros). Conversely, the miscellaneous vehicle construction sector, including aircraft, ships, and trains, saw a significant revenue increase of 15.0% to 2.1 billion euros.

Employment in the region's industrial sector fell by 3.3% during this period, with an average of 1,005,764 people employed. Most major industries reported job losses, including mechanical engineering, which saw a 2.3% decrease in staff, and metal product manufacturing, which saw a 6.3% decline.