Economy

The region has long been home to companies that sell their products in all four corners of the world. Global names include "Haribo" and the manufacturer of egg liqueur "Verpoorten".

In addition, a large number of companies have moved their headquarters to the region. These include, among others, global players such as Deutsche Telekom or Deutsche Post; the latter is now Germany's No. 1 employer with a total of 500,000 employees worldwide.

Nevertheless, the economic structure of the region is mainly characterised by small and medium-sized companies, which account for more than 80 percent of all businesses in the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg region. They are the region's most important economic factor.

The sectoral structure as a whole is defined by the services sector. Particularly well represented are information and telecommunications industries (ICT), logistics and other service industries for the manufacturing sector.

The services sector represents approximately 80% of companies in the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg area. As such they provide a majority of jobs and are a dynamic source of growth. The result is a diverse service supplier base and healthy competition, which is further reinforced by the law. The three largest service companies in the region are the DAX-listed Telekom, Deutsche Post and Postbank. ICT in health services also shape the pattern of economic activity in the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg area. Finally, the B2B services sector helps develop trade and industry related activity.

Although industrial production only accounts for approximately 20% of employment and value-added in the region; its role in promoting growth should not be underestimated. This is because industry is closely tied to the services sector. The leading manufacturing industries in the region are plastics, mechanical engineering and the food industry. Especially export-orientated are vehicle construction, as well as mechanical engineering, metals and plastics. Through their exports these sectors contribute to employment growth in the region.

In Bonn, the share of employees who are subject to social insurance contributions and have academic degrees is a very high 17 percent.

In the past few years, the unemployment rate has consistently been below the state average by a strong margin.