The construction industry is particularly affected, with only 206,600 new housing units completed in 2025, the lowest in over a decade. Business leaders, including Stephan Schmidt of a major clay extraction company, report a continuous decline in demand due to insufficient building activity. The employer association Gesamtmetall warns of potential job losses exceeding 150,000 this year, attributing the crisis to long-standing domestic issues such as high taxes and regulatory burdens. Calls for urgent structural reforms are growing as the sector grapples with a challenging economic landscape.