According to the autumn business survey of the BHE Bundesverband Sicherheitstechnik e.V., the slight downward trend in the security market has continued.
Compared to the first half of the year (2.10), the specialist companies still rate the current business situation at 2.15 on the school grade scale. However, a look at the individual customer groups shows the currently tense and crisis-ridden situation.
Accordingly, the private sector with a score of 3.04 (April 2022: 2.77) and the commercial sector with a score of 2.33 (April 2022: 2.12) record the third worst results since the surveys began. Only at the beginning of the Corona pandemic in spring 2020 (private: 3.10; commercial: 2.41) and in the first survey in spring 2010 (private: 3.07; commercial: 2.56) was the rating in these two customer groups even more negative.
After the business situation among public authorities had improved steadily since autumn 2020 and reached the second-best result in spring 2022 (2.41), this area is also currently in a clear decline with a value of 2.55.
In some cases, significant declines are being reported in the individual subject areas. The sharpest decline was recorded in access control from its all-time high in spring 2022 (1.59) to a score of 2.20. Burglar alarm systems also deteriorated, falling from a score of 2.24 to 2.47. Further, but less pronounced, declines were made in fire alarm systems (1.90 to 2.04) and voice alarm systems (2.18 to 2.39).
There was hardly any change in video security with a score of 2.34 (spring 2022: score 2.38) and smoke and heat extraction systems (2.08 compared to 2.09).
There was an upswing in mechanical security, which improved from 2.86 to 2.20, and perimeter security, which scored 2.00 (up from 2.50 in April 2022), according to the survey results.
The results of the economic survey make it clear that the security industry is also struggling with the current crisis situation (general inflation, high energy prices, staff shortages, supply difficulties, etc.). Accordingly, the specialist companies are cautious in their assessment of the future business situation with a grade of 2.45. The current view of the future is thus hardly more optimistic than at the beginning of the Corona pandemic in spring 2020 (grade 2.47).
As a result, the number of companies that want to hire new employees has also fallen by 4 percentage points to 57 percent compared to the spring survey. 42 percent of businesses want to keep their employees (compared to spring 2022: 37 percent) and only 1 percent are thinking of downsizing.
