> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Thora Fjeldsted > Reference:: In A. Mignosa and P. Kotipalli (eds.), *A Cultural Economic Analysis of Craft* > Date:: 2019 > Tags:: #Germany #warp/article #statistics > WeftLinks:: [[Economic value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft makes an important contribution to the economy]] ` > [!SUMMARY] Summary > In Germany, the craft sector had a turnover of 561 billion euros. It is identified as a refuge from financial instability and a key part of the social infrastructure. ### Highlights >In 2016, the turnover of the sector was 561 billion euros before VAT (7.7% of national gross value), and around one million crafts companies were active and listed in the national crafts register (28.8% of active German enterprises). Around 5.45 million people were employed in the sector >The meaning of quality and skills was highlighted in a 2010 television advertisement commissioned by Handwerk as part of a publicity campaign aimed at encouraging enrolment in its education system.7 In the span of two minutes the material constitution of a fictional city disintegrated. Confusion reigned as tables broke to pieces, wallpaper peeled off and windows fell out. Clothes tore on the seams as textiles came undone and heels broke off shoes. Finally, roads cracked open and materials crumbled to an unbuilt state, leaving a naked, uncomfortable and scared population of humans standing on a heap of dust. ‘What is the world without quality and skill in making? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1TwIUgd7eb0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> >following the financial crisis in 2008 Handwerk has been hailed as the economy’s ‘golden floor’, gaining considerably in status and appreciation