Verkehrsabhaengige Wachstums- und Struktureffekte

Transport is normally seen in its physical dimension. Less attention is paid to its economic impact. This is also true of statistics dealing with transport. In terms of value added, the information they provide on transport is inadequate. This mainly concerns road transport and is one of the reasons why its importance tends to be underestimated. The present article tries to measure the contribution transport services make to the gross domestic product (GDP). It uses input-output accounts to provide a comprehensive measure of the economic impact of the transport sector, including in-house transportation activities. The analysis which covers the period from 1954 to 1998 shows that more than 30 per cent of the growth in employment achieved in Germany during that period is attributable to the growth of transport activities. However, since the beginning of the nineties, transport services have grown much less in terms of value. With productivity continuing to advance, there has been a tendency for transport-related employment to fall. The trend observed for most of the post-war period has been reversed. A major share of the employment lost in the German economy over the past few years has in fact taken place in the industries directly and indirectly dependent on transport services, the capital outlay associated with these services and the export of transport equipment, raising the question whether transport will continue to be a major engine of growth in the future.