Fürth convinces companies: good grades, but need for action identified!

Fürth convinces companies: good grades, but need for action identified!

The economy in Fürth is developing positively overall, although the view of the digital infrastructure is not quite as rosy. A survey of around 2,700 companies, carried out by the Fürth Office for Economics and Urban Development (AWS) in collaboration with the GEFAK Society for Applied Municipal Research mbH, revealed satisfaction with the business location, which was given a school grade of 2.06. This is an improvement compared to 2.14 in 2023, as Fuerthaktuell reported.

A total of 442 questionnaires were completed, which corresponds to a response rate of 18.5 percent. The respondents particularly scored good marks for local road connections (1.80), national transport connections (1.87) and local public transport (1.90). The walking accessibility of the company premises was even rated at 1.92. According to the companies, the most important factors for choosing a location are mobile phone and broadband coverage, local road connections as well as the availability of workers and local public transport.

Need for action in securing skilled workers

But not everything that glitters is gold. The survey also showed some discrepancies between expectations and actual satisfaction. What particularly stands out here are the areas of securing skilled workers, trade tax and digital infrastructure. Urgent measures must be taken, especially when it comes to the supply of workers, in order to meet the demands of companies. Recommendations for action are also planned, which are to be developed by the time the survey results are presented on December 1, 2025. A company day in the Ronhof sports park on February 24, 2026 will present the results in detail.

A central component of the location assessment and the requirements of companies in Fürth is the strategic orientation of economic development. How ratsinfo.fuerth emphasizes, digital company surveys are carried out every two to four years in order to specifically control the development of the service offering. These surveys have the advantage that they enable continuous improvement in economic conditions.

Outlook for the future

The next survey in 2025 will not only focus on satisfaction, but will also address aspects such as imports and exports, especially exports to the USA. The goal is to better understand the needs of the approximately 3,000 companies in the city through a targeted approach and through additional topics such as securing skilled workers and company succession. A look back at market developments since 2003 shows that the economic development agency in Fürth is committed to strengthening competitiveness.

In this regard, strategic planning is of great importance. Gravenfeld emphasizes that well-thought-out economic development can create jobs and stabilize regional economic strength. Funding programs that offer financial incentives are particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized companies.

In summary, the current satisfaction survey shows that Fürth is convincing as a business location, but there is still room for improvement when it comes to digital infrastructure and securing skilled workers. The coming months will be crucial in actively meeting the challenges and further building on the positive aspects.