Self-employed workers and micro-enterprises in Germany are now slightly less pessimistic about their future prospects, according to the latest Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index.
The latest edition of the index, published by the ifo Institute, rose from -27.7 points in May to -25.9 points in June, with the improvement largely driven by less negative expectations for the remainder of the year.
At the same time, respondents said that their current business situation was worse than in the previous month.
‘Trend reversal’
“There is still no sign of a trend reversal,” commented ifo expert Katrin Demmelhuber. “Although things are heading in the right direction, a real recovery is a long way off.”
Sectoral trends were also evident, with self-employed service providers reporting an improvement in their assessment of current business conditions – however this cohort were also more pessimistic about future prospects.
Retailers, meanwhile, became less negative about the months ahead, although their assessment of current trading conditions deteriorated further, reaching its lowest level since the survey began.
Access to finance
Access to finance also emerged as a growing challenge for self-employed businesses. During the second quarter of 2026, 44.8% of self-employed respondents who sought bank financing reported difficulties in loan negotiations, up from 34.6% in the previous quarter.
Demand for loans remained limited among solo self-employed workers and microenterprises, with only 9.3% reporting discussions with banks about borrowing.
Among self-employed retailers, the proportion experiencing problems securing loans increased from 41.0% to 59.1% over the quarter. At the same time, demand for borrowing in the sector rose modestly, with the share of retailers seeking loans increasing from 13.3% to 14.8%.
“The results indicate that access to loans has become markedly more difficult, especially for self-employed retailers,” Demmelhuber added.
The Jimdo-ifo Business Climate Index has been published since August 2021 and tracks business sentiment among solo self-employed workers and microenterprises employing fewer than nine people. Read more here.
