Study proves: bicycle industry is a turnover and job engine in Germany

In the bicycle industry, 281,000 people were employed in Germany in 2019 in the three core sectors of manufacturing, trade and services as well as other sectors along the value chain. Around 66,000 employees worked in the core industries, which saw employment growth of 20 percent compared to 2014 (55,000 employees). One result of the study: In 2019, cycle tourism was the largest sector of the economy with 204,000 employees.

In Germany, the transition of transport towards sustainable mobility is often discussed in connection with jobs and employment. The employees in Germany of the automotive industry are an important argument for bringing about a socially acceptable structural change. Of course, alternative and environmentally friendly modes of transport such as cycling have both high economic significance and job potential, too.

The Wuppertal Institute and the Institute for Work and Technology of the Westfälische Hochschule have conducted a study about the cycling economy. The study "Branchenstudie Fahrradwirtschaft in Deutschland: Unternehmen, Erwerbstätige, Umsatz" was commissioned by the three German business associations BVZF e. V., VSF e. V. and ZIV e. V. It has systematically determined employment and turnover of the bicycle economy in Germany.