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Germany, once known as Europe’s economic powerhouse, is currently facing massive challenges. A growing number of corporate bankruptcies and accompanying mass layoffs raise the question of whether Germany remains a viable business location. As politics, business, and society search for solutions, more and more voices are calling for a fundamental realignment. But what are the causes of the current crisis – and is there still a way back to economic stability?
The number of corporate bankruptcies in Germany has risen dramatically in 2025. According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 18,000 company insolvencies were recorded in the first half of the year – an increase of over 35% compared to the same period last year. The sectors most affected are retail, construction, manufacturing, and energy-intensive industries.
This trend is accompanied by massive job cuts. Corporations like Thyssenkrupp, Bosch, ZF Friedrichshafen, and Galaxus have announced thousands of layoffs. Even in the SME sector – traditionally the backbone of the German economy – many businesses are fighting for survival.
The causes of the wave of insolvencies are diverse – and largely self-inflicted. Some of the key factors include:
Since the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, energy prices in Germany have remained particularly high in a European comparison. The result: production costs increase, international competitiveness declines, and many companies relocate production abroad.
Germany is aging – and with an aging population comes an increasing shortage of skilled workers. Many companies cannot fill vacant positions, innovation stalls, and growth opportunities are missed.
Companies have been complaining for years about overregulation in Germany. Approval processes often take months, and new regulations are complex and costly. In the international comparison, this reduces Germany’s attractiveness as a business location.
In global digitalization rankings, Germany now only ranks mid-table. Many sectors lag technologically, severely limiting innovation potential.
Inflation and rising living costs are causing consumers to cut back on spending. Retailers feel this immediately – especially in city centers, where traditional shops are closing down one after another.
The German government has responded to the worsening situation – though many experts say too hesitantly. Measures such as the planned electricity price cap for industry, investments in infrastructure and digitalization, or the new Skilled Immigration Act are meant to provide relief. So far, the success has been limited.
Business leaders are calling for clearer reforms. BGA President Dirk Jandura recently warned: We are losing our location advantage. Without structural relief for businesses, we face deindustrialization.
Despite the tense situation, there are also positive developments:
The answer is: Yes – but it won’t be easy.
Germany still has enormous strengths: well-developed infrastructure, a strong research landscape, political stability, and a high quality of life. But without decisive political reforms, economic relief, and a radical rethink of bureaucracy and digitalization, the downturn will be difficult to stop.
Germany as a business location stands at a crossroads. It’s not too late – but the window for fundamental change is closing quickly. The coming years will be decisive.
The current wave of bankruptcies and mass layoffs is a red flag. It clearly shows that structural problems can no longer be ignored. If Germany wants to retain its economic leadership in Europe, it must act now – boldly, decisively, and with a future-focused strategy.
Whether it's product prices, job listings, real estate offers, or stock market data: the internet is full of publicly available information. But when that data is collected in large volumes and automatically processed, it’s called data scraping. A term that’s increasingly relevant in the age of AI, big data, and digital business models — but also legally and ethically controversial.
Data scraping refers to the automated process of extracting data from websites or online platforms. Special software tools or scripts — known as scrapers — scan websites, identify structured information (like tables, text, or metadata), and save it into databases or spreadsheets for further use.
Common use cases for data scraping include:
The data collected is often used for market research, competitive analysis, lead generation, or training artificial intelligence systems.
Technically speaking, data scraping is relatively easy. Even a basic Python script using libraries like BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, or Selenium can extract web content automatically. Browser plugins and low-code tools have made it even more accessible to non-programmers.
But legally, data scraping is a gray area. In the EU and Germany, website content is protected under copyright laws, even if it's publicly accessible. Mass copying and reuse of data may violate copyright law, website terms of service, or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — especially when personal data is involved.
Major platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Amazon actively fight unauthorized scraping. At the same time, many companies use scraping techniques themselves for competitive intelligence or market analysis.
Many websites now offer APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) — official access points for retrieving structured data legally and efficiently. APIs are stable, documented, and often permitted under clear usage terms. However, they are sometimes limited, expensive, or don't provide all the data a company wants.
As a result, scraping is often the “unofficial” workaround, especially when no API is available or when the API limits usage too tightly.
Data scraping plays a key role in various digital business models. Common fields of application include:
Journalists also use scraping, especially in investigative and data-driven reporting — for example, to analyze large data leaks or identify hidden patterns in public records.
Despite its usefulness, data scraping raises serious legal and ethical issues. In addition to copyright and privacy concerns, it also raises questions of fair use and server load — scraping can overwhelm websites with automated requests. Some platforms block scrapers or deploy bot detection tools to prevent abuse.
There is also risk of misuse: scraping can be used for spam, misinformation, or even identity theft — for example, by harvesting email addresses or profile pictures from public sites.
Data scraping is a powerful tool in the data-driven economy. It provides access to information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain — enabling insights, automation, and innovation. However, the line between smart data strategy and legal violation is thin.
Anyone who wants to use scraping professionally must not only understand the technical side, but also comply with legal frameworks, follow ethical guidelines, and ensure responsible data handling.
Between Alps, algorithms, and four national languages: The media in Switzerland in transition
In 2025, Switzerland’s media landscape is diverse, linguistically rich, and undergoing transformation. With a total of 2,715 media outlets, Switzerland is an essential part of the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), which collectively includes 20,432 media entities. Despite its relatively small population, Switzerland maintains a dense and regionally rooted media network.
The Swiss media ecosystem is characterized by a fine web of local newspapers, specialized publishers, public service broadcasting, and digital niche platforms — all underpinned by a culture that values press freedom, media diversity, and journalistic quality.
Switzerland has 232 newspapers and online news outlets, with a strong emphasis on regional coverage. Local papers such as the Aargauer Zeitung, Thurgauer Zeitung, or Walliser Bote play a vital role in their communities.
Major national publications like NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger, and Blick are expanding their digital strategies — including paywalls, apps, newsletters, and podcasts — while smaller publishers focus on reader engagement and hyperlocal content.
With 737 magazines and journals, Switzerland boasts a strong publishing sector. Titles such as Die Weltwoche, L'Hebdo, or Bilanz are widely read, with many publications appearing in multiple languages or regional editions. Trade and industry magazines — especially in finance, health, and tourism — are also influential internationally.
Switzerland is home to 1,118 scientific journals, a disproportionately high number due to its strong academic and research infrastructure. Institutions like ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, and the University of Basel drive numerous high-quality scientific publications, often in international cooperation.
In addition, 357 publishers operate in Switzerland, many of them highly specialized. Their focus often includes scientific, legal, and medical content. New publishing models are emerging, blending print, e-books, and open access strategies.
Switzerland hosts 100 radio stations, including public (SRG SSR) and private broadcasters. A key feature: content is produced in all four national languages — German, French, Italian, and Romansh — making the radio landscape uniquely diverse.
With 46 television stations, Swiss broadcasting is broad and multilingual. Major networks like SRF, RTS, and RSI operate under SRG SSR and provide content across languages and regions. Increasingly, they are investing in streaming platforms, digital archives, and media libraries to reach younger audiences. Private regional stations like TeleZüri or TV24 complement the offering with local news and entertainment.
Switzerland has a vibrant digital media culture, with 37 blogs, 12 podcasts, and 32 online portals. While the numbers may be smaller than in Germany, the content is often deep, high-quality, and highly specialized — particularly in politics, science, and environmental reporting.
Podcasts are increasingly seen as a natural extension of traditional media — offered by outlets like SRF or NZZ — but also as a space for new, younger voices discussing issues such as education, gender, or urban culture.
Switzerland is home to 22 music labels, many of which focus on electronic music, jazz, and Alpine folk genres. Labels like Mouthwatering Records or Quartz Records are known for their creative projects and growing international recognition.
With 13 forums and community platforms, the scene is modest but impactful. Many serve as academic or technical discussion spaces, often developed in collaboration with universities or research institutions. Topics range from energy and health to information technology.
Switzerland has 9 press agencies, including the SDA – Swiss News Agency, the country’s primary newswire. Others provide specialized content in finance, science, or culture, serving both traditional media and digital platforms.
The Swiss media landscape in 2025 reflects the nation’s identity: multilingual, decentralized, independent — and facing the challenges of digitization, media consolidation, and economic pressures. The balance between regional journalism and global connectivity remains both a strength and a challenge.
Nevertheless, Switzerland’s media sector is remarkably resilient — not only in quantity, but in quality. It proves that even a small country can support a strong, diverse, and internationally respected media system.
In Switzerland, media diversity is not an aspiration — in 2025, it’s a democratic reality.
| Media Type | Total (DACH) | In Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Blog | 643 | 37 |
| Forum / Community | 186 | 13 |
| Scientific Journal | 4,948 | 1,118 |
| Music Label / Record Label | 397 | 22 |
| Magazine / Journal | 6,738 | 737 |
| Newspaper / Online Newspaper | 1,663 | 232 |
| Podcast | 186 | 12 |
| Press Agency / News Portal | 108 | 9 |
| Publishing House | 4,155 | 357 |
| Radio Station | 664 | 100 |
| TV Broadcaster | 314 | 46 |
| Online Portal | 430 | 32 |
| Total | 20,432 | 2,715 |
Diversity between Alps and Algorithms: A look at Austria's media in 2025
In 2025, Austria’s media landscape is evolving — digital, diverse, and deeply rooted in a tradition of quality journalism. With a total of 1,960 media outlets, Austria represents a vital part of the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), which together hosts 20,432 media entities.
The Austrian media scene reflects the dynamics of a small but media-savvy country — shaped by strong regional newspapers, specialized publishers, public broadcasters, digital pioneers, and independent platforms.
With 806 titles, magazines and journals form the largest media category in Austria. This includes not only traditional consumer magazines like profil, trend, or News, but also a wide range of trade publications, cultural journals, and scientific magazines. Especially in Vienna, but also in Salzburg, Graz, and Tyrol, unique publications with regional or thematic focus are thriving.
Austria has 134 newspapers and online newspapers, many of which are strongly focused on local coverage. In addition to major national newspapers such as Die Presse, Der Standard, Kronen Zeitung, and Kurier, local titles like the Salzburger Nachrichten or Vorarlberger Nachrichten play a key role in informing the public.
The digital shift is in full effect: many editorial offices are using data journalism, personalized news apps, and subscription models to adapt to changing user behavior and funding challenges.
With 302 scientific journals and 367 publishers, Austria is a significant hub for academic publishing and knowledge dissemination. Universities and research institutions in cities like Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck are key players in publishing peer-reviewed content and driving scholarly communication.
In addition, numerous small and specialized publishers — in areas such as medicine, law, or architecture — are innovating and remaining competitive through expertise and quality.
Austria hosts 67 radio stations, including the public broadcaster ORF with channels like Ö1, FM4, and Ö3, as well as numerous private and regional stations. Especially in rural areas, radio remains a vital source of information and entertainment.
There are 44 TV broadcasters in Austria, including ORF and private stations such as ServusTV and Puls 4. Television is still one of the most widely consumed media, although the landscape is rapidly evolving: media libraries, video-on-demand, and streaming platforms are redefining how Austrians watch TV — across all age groups.
Digitization has brought forth new formats in Austria. With 154 blogs, 9 podcasts, and 24 online portals, a creative and diverse media culture is growing — balancing journalism, activism, and community building.
Some blogs operate at a professional level, focusing on politics, the environment, or urban development. Podcasts in Austria are still developing compared to Germany, but notable formats like Besser leben (Der Standard) or Inside Austria are steadily growing their audience.
Austria has 8 registered press agencies, led by the Austria Press Agency (APA), the dominant player in delivering news, data, and multimedia content to media houses, public institutions, and private companies.
With 24 music and record labels, Austria may not be large in number, but its contribution — especially in the classical and indie sectors — is culturally significant. Creative music projects, particularly in Vienna and Linz, often operate at the intersection of art, journalism, and performance.
There are 21 forums and community platforms in Austria. Though relatively few, they are important venues for public discussion — often in the form of specialist forums, educational networks, or local online communities. These digital spaces encourage participation and strengthen civil society engagement.
The Austrian media landscape in 2025 is marked by a remarkable density and diversity — particularly when compared to the size and population of the country. It bridges tradition and innovation, local relevance and global dialogue, print legacy and digital disruption.
Challenges such as media concentration, economic pressures, and disinformation remain present. But Austria’s media sector proves to be adaptable, creative, and indispensable — especially when it comes to upholding informed public discourse and democratic values.
In Austria, media diversity is not just an ideal — in 2025, it’s a lived reality.
| Media Type | Total (DACH) | In Austria |
|---|---|---|
| Blogs | 643 | 154 |
| Forum s/ Communities | 186 | 21 |
| Scientific Journals | 4,948 | 302 |
| Music Labels / Record Labels | 397 | 24 |
| Magazines / Journals | 6,738 | 806 |
| Newspapers / Online Newspapers | 1,663 | 134 |
| Podcast | 186 | 9 |
| Press Agencies / Press Portals | 108 | 8 |
| Publishing Houses | 4,155 | 367 |
| Radio Stations | 664 | 67 |
| TV Broadcasters | 314 | 44 |
| Online Portals | 430 | 24 |
| Total | 20,432 | 1,960 |
Digitalization has transformed many professions over the past decades, but rarely has a shift been as rapid and disruptive as the one currently unfolding in content marketing. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) — particularly generative language models like GPT-4 and Google's Gemini — an entire profession is under threat: content writers, copywriters, and freelance authors are facing a wave of displacement. What was once considered essential creative work is now increasingly automated. A structural shake-up is underway — with far-reaching consequences for companies, agencies, and workers alike.
The business case for AI in content marketing is hard to ignore: Artificial intelligence can generate SEO-optimized blog posts, product descriptions, newsletters, or social media captions within seconds — 24/7, without vacation, sick days, or minimum wage.
Take this example: where a human copywriter used to spend several hours on a well-researched blog article, an AI model like GPT-4o can generate multiple versions of the same topic in minutes. Tools like Jasper, Neuroflash, and Writesonic already offer “Content-as-a-Service” — often at a fraction of traditional costs.
According to a recent study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), up to 40% of freelance content writers in Germany feel their livelihoods are threatened by AI. In the US and UK, the trend is even more pronounced, with major media companies having already laid off or significantly downsized their writing teams.
“I’ve worked as a freelance copywriter for over ten years for agencies and startups, but since early 2024, I’ve barely received any new assignments,” says Sandra K., a freelance writer from Hamburg. “Many clients now generate their texts with AI and only book an editor — if at all.”
Similar stories are emerging across the industry: permanent positions are being cut, freelancer rates slashed, or contracts canceled altogether. Entry-level and junior writers are particularly affected, as their typical tasks — simple product texts or social media captions — can now be almost entirely automated.
Major agencies like Jung von Matt and Serviceplan are already experimenting with AI systems for automated content creation. Meanwhile, companies are bringing content production in-house, as AI-driven tools have become easy enough for non-experts to use.
Supporters of human-written content argue that real creativity, empathy, and cultural nuance remain unique to humans. But technological advances in recent years are challenging that assumption.
AI-generated texts can now mimic tone, style, humor, emotion, and target group appeal with surprising accuracy. The line between human and machine-generated writing is becoming increasingly blurred — not just for readers, but also for editors and marketing professionals.
“We now let AI write about 70% of our blog content,” says Lisa Meier, head of content at an e-commerce company. “The quality is more than sufficient — and with a bit of editing, nobody can tell the difference.”
While traditional writing jobs are declining, new roles are emerging around the use of AI in marketing: prompt designers, AI editors, content curators. But these new jobs require different skillsets — technical knowledge, data literacy, and strategic thinking. For many copywriters, the transition is difficult.
“The shift toward AI-supported work isn't inherently bad,” says labor market expert Dr. Jens Langenbach. “But we’re witnessing a massive restructuring: those who don’t retrain or specialize will be left behind.”
Educational institutions and industry associations are also under pressure: training programs for copywriters or online editors often feel outdated. AI proficiency, data analysis, and tool literacy should already be core curriculum — but the pace of institutional adaptation lags behind the technology itself.
Beyond economic concerns, ethical and qualitative issues are also surfacing: Can we still trust AI-generated content? Who is responsible for misinformation, plagiarism, or biased language produced by machines?
Experts also warn of a looming “content inflation”: as every company begins using AI to produce vast amounts of content, attention for individual posts drops — and public trust in the credibility of online sources erodes.
“Content marketing risks becoming a soulless blend of sameness,” warns media ethicist Prof. Dr. Katharina Scholz. “That’s why we still need human curators who work with integrity, originality, and responsibility.”
The mass job losses in content marketing are real — and accelerating. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we create, consume, and evaluate content. For many writers, this means reskilling, specializing, or saying goodbye to a once-creative and independent profession.
Yet the upheaval also creates opportunity. Those who understand AI tools, think strategically, and are willing to redefine their roles can still thrive in the new content ecosystem — perhaps even with more influence than before.
The question remains: In the future, will we still know — or even want to know — whether a piece of content was written by a human?