Press release No. 412 of 2 September 2021
WIESBADEN – With the COVID-19 pandemic, the so-called critical infrastructure came into focus. According to the Federal Government, these are sectors of major importance to the community whose failure or disruption would cause a long-term shortage of supplies, significant disruptions of public order or other dramatic consequences. Based on first results of the 2020 microcensus, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that roughly 17.9 million people, or 43% of all persons in employment from the age of 15 worked in branches with critical infrastructures in 2020. The largest group comprises 5.6 million persons in employment in the health sector, followed by 3.4 million people working in the general government and administrative sector and 2.9 million in the food sector.