German business does not expect a rapid recovery in Europe's largest economy, according to the results of a new survey by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce published in Berlin on Thursday.
While the economy was not in decline, it was also not growing, DIHK chief executive Martin Wansleben said in presenting the results of the survey.
According to the survey, just under 30% of businesses see the current business climate as positive, with more than 25% seeing it as poor.
The DIHK pointed once more to structural problems, including high energy and labour costs, a shortage of skilled workers and excessive bureaucracy which it said were holding back business.
The German tax burden was high by international comparison, it added.
"Hopes over recent months that increased foreign business or rising domestic demand could act as a driver for German companies have not been realized," Wansleben said.
The survey revealed that only a quarter of the companies surveyed were planning more investment. Wansleben referred to "alarming indications of gradual deindustrialization."
The DIHK is predicting a stagnant economy for this year. The government and the major economic think tanks are expecting marginal growth at best.