- Employment at the 100 largest employers rises by 1.5%
- Revenue remain virtually stable despite challenging economic conditions
- Companies cautiously optimistic about 2026
The analysis shows that revenues at the state’s leading companies remained virtually stable in the 2025 financial year despite challenging economic conditions. The 50 largest companies by revenue generated a combined €17.7 billion, 0.1% more than in the previous year. Adjusted for changes in the composition of the ranking, revenues rose by 2.2%.
Employment also developed positively. Saxony-Anhalt’s 100 largest employers had a combined workforce of just over 101,000, an increase of 1.5% year on year. Among the 95 companies included in both surveys, employment rose by 2.0%.
“The results show that Saxony-Anhalt’s largest companies held their ground overall in a challenging economic environment. That is encouraging,” said Ingrid Spletter-Weiß, Member of the Management Board of NORD/LB, at the presentation of the study.
“At the same time, many companies continue to face major structural challenges. For an industrial state such as Saxony-Anhalt, a reliable and competitive energy supply, investment in modern production processes and a sufficient supply of skilled workers are crucial,” Spletter-Weiß added.
The figures point to further stabilisation in 2026. On average, the companies that provided forecasts for the current year expect employment to rise by 0.4% and revenues by 2.7%.
“Saxony-Anhalt’s largest companies have proved remarkably resilient in the face of multiple pressures. At the same time, signs of an economic recovery are becoming more evident at the broader economic level,” said Christian Lips, Chief Economist at NORD/LB. “This is consistent with the cautiously positive outlook in our survey. For 2026, companies expect modest employment growth and stronger momentum in nominal revenues. A sustained upturn will require investment activity to pick up.”
Moderate Increase in Employment
In the 2025 financial year, Saxony-Anhalt’s 100 largest employers had a combined workforce of 101,364. This represents around 12.8% of all employees subject to social security contributions in the state. Employment increased by 1.5% year on year. Of the companies in the ranking, 27 each employ more than 1,000 people.
Deutsche Bahn AG remains the state’s largest employer, with 8,165 employees. University Hospital Magdeburg moves into second place after significantly increasing its workforce to 5,184. Deutsche Post DHL Group, which ranked second in the previous year, is now third with an unchanged workforce of 5,100. University Hospital Halle follows in fourth place with 4,415 employees, ahead of AMEOS Group East Region with around 4,000.
Services now account for 32.0% of employment among the companies surveyed, narrowly overtaking manufacturing for the first time at 30.8%. Manufacturing nevertheless remains a key pillar of Saxony-Anhalt’s economy: the 44 companies in this sector employ a total of 31,226 people. Transport and logistics account for 16.6% of employment.
“Employment at Saxony-Anhalt’s largest companies developed positively overall,” said Holger Fechner, an analyst at NORD/LB Research and author of the study. “The shift between sectors is also noteworthy. Services have moved narrowly ahead in terms of employment, while manufacturing continues to play a central role in the state’s economic structure.”
Revenue Performance Remains Stable Despite Challenging Conditions
Saxony-Anhalt’s 50 largest companies by revenue generated a combined €17.7 billion in the 2025 financial year, an increase of 0.1% compared with the previous year. Among the 38 companies included in the ranking in both 2024 and 2025, revenues rose by around 2.2%.
VERBIO SE of Zörbig once again tops the revenue ranking. The company increased its revenue by around 19% to just under €1.9 billion. Schwarz Produktion Stiftung & Co. KG ranks second with €987 million, followed by Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien GmbH with just under €966 million. Stadtwerke Halle GmbH and SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH take fourth and fifth place respectively.
Manufacturing continues to dominate the revenue structure. The 23 manufacturing companies in the ranking generated around 62% of the Top 50’s combined revenue. The food and beverage industry is particularly well represented within manufacturing, with ten companies, followed by the metals industry with four.
About NORD/LB
NORD/LB Norddeutsche Landesbank is one of Germany’s leading commercial banks, and a pioneer in renewable energy project finance since the 1990s, across more than 30 markets. As an institute under public law, it is part of the S-Finance Group. Its core business segments include corporate customers, special financing in the energy and infrastructure sectors, financing commercial real estate via Deutsche Hypo, capital market business, association business with the savings banks, and private and commercial customers including private banking. The bank is based in Hanover, Braunschweig, and Magdeburg and has branches in Oldenburg, Hamburg, Schwerin, Düsseldorf, and Munich. Outside Germany, NORD/LB is represented by a Pfandbrief bank (NORD/LB Covered Bond Bank) in Luxembourg and by branches in London and New York.
