Photo Gallery German Economy Faces Deep Restructuring
So far, Germany, which has long been the world's biggest exporter, has coped surprisingly well with the crisis. But it needs to overhaul its economy in 2010 and focus more heavily on industries of the future, such as wind power technology.
Workers at the Nordseewerke shipyard in Emden, northern Germany, after launching their last ever ship, the "Frisia Cottbus." The parent company, ThyssenKrupp, sees no future shipbuilding in Emden, and the outlook isn't much better for the other German shipyards. The yard will no focus on building steel underwater foundations for wind farms.
Porsche vehicles being prepared for export. The German auto sector is undergoing more upheaval than any other industry.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seen here at the opening of the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in September, wants Germany to remain a global export leader, although some economists say Germany should focus more on boosting domestic demand.
Workers inspect a solar panel used for solar heaters at China Himin Solar Energy Group factory in Dezhou in Shandong province. Developing economies are increasingly challenging Western leadership in high-tech industries.
A medical products trade fair in Germany last month. Germany has some 1,250 companies in the medical products sector employing almost 100,000 people. That's not a lot compared with the auto sector, but the number of jobs in this field has risen continuously in recent years.
