I. The crisis of the Ruhr area and of the city of Dortmund
1.Employment development and structural problems.
The following figures and table A1 demonstrate what has been going on in the Ruhr
area in the last 30 years. An almost total structural transformation of the economy in
this coal and steel region, formerly the largest in western Europe, has taken place.
More than 500,000 jobs have been lost in the two basic industries.
Figure A1: Development of employment in the eight largest industrial branches
in the conurbation of the Ruhr 1985-1995
Source: KVR/DGB Ruhr-Memorandum, 1997,p 64 (Bade)
Legend from above to below: electrical engineering, motorcars industries, food industries, chemical
industries, structural steel work, mechanical engineering, iron & steel, coal mining