Logo: MV - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Best of Northern Germany Mecklenburg-Vorpommern The State Portal

Best of Northern Germany

Economy & Work

Education & Science

Nature & Nutrition

Family

Health & Sports

Culture & Leisure

A great place to live and work

(Image: Nordlicht)

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s strength as a business centre is based on the diversity of its economic structure: a mixture of global players, small and medium enterprises and highly skilled workers. There is a range of prospects for both innovative high-tech sectors and traditional processing industries. Natural geographical advantages such as wind, solar power and free space for innovation have turned Mecklenburg-Vorpommern into one of Germany's leading regions in the transition towards a sustainable energy future. An increasing number of trainees, students and skilled workers are moving to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for a better quality of life that is compatible with a career.

MV’s globally competitive and steadily growing industry segments offer the best of conditions. (Image: Landesmarketing MV / Holger Martens)

An economic site for profitable investments

Mechanical engineering, life science, the foodstuff and lumber industries, logistics and automotive, the maritime industry or renewable energies: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s globally competitive and steadily growing segments offer the best of conditions. Foremost among them are a tremendous supply of highly-qualified engineers. The proximity to research and science institutes and networks close to the field of practice allow for synergies and joint projects.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's geographical location proves highly advantageous: Serving as a hub to Scandinavia and the Baltics, the state's modern ports directly connect to important trans-European transportation routes. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is tightly integrated into international transport networks: this goes for the North-South axis as well as the connection between Central and Eastern Europe. The network infrastructure is reinforced by the Rostock-Laage Airport and was rounded off in 2006 with the completion of the A20 motorway.

Industrial sectors and areas of growth

The food industry is one of MV’s most important industrial sectors. It boasts a diverse range of products, including dairy products and juice, bakery products, sausage and meat products, baby food, rapeseed oil – and of course fish. Important conurbations of the food industry are the regions Ludwigslust and Demmin as well as the island of Rügen. The proximity between local agriculture and the food industry leads to important synergy effects, including increased sales opportunities for farmers and high-quality raw materials for the food industry. In addition to conventional agriculture, organic farming is becoming increasingly important. In livestock production, the breeding of cattle and pigs plays the largest role. About one third of the cattle are dairy cows.

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The maritime industry is another important economic sector in MV. It is subdivided into ship and boat building, maritime suppliers as well as marine and offshore technology. The region’s seaports and the associated logistics sector are important growth stimulators. Thirteen port locations offer modern logistical services. Shipbuilding in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mainly involves the areas of marine technology and speciality shipbuilding. The maritime suppliers and service providers in MV are therefore busy developing and producing future-oriented, innovative system solutions.

The IT sector is of growing importance to MV. In addition to already established companies, more and more start-ups have emerged in recent years that develop new digital solutions. A large number of IT companies are also active in research. The region’s universities train highly qualified staff for these tasks. They are the starting point of many initiatives pushing for interdisciplinary and practice-oriented cooperation between research and development.

Holidays are in our nature

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is characterised by beaches and lakes, islands and national parks, the Baltic Sea and the Müritz, and is the number one holiday region in Germany for trips lasting more than five days, according to an analysis by the Urlaub und Reisen (FUR) research group. MV is also very popular with families and the most popular domestic holiday destination. Tourism is therefore one of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern‘s most important economic and growth sectors. The main growth drivers are camping sites, hotels and holiday accommodation.

The Dock Inn in Rostock is the first hostel made of upcycled overseas shipping containers. (Image: Landesmarketing MV / Holger Martens)

MV has already been awarded several times for its tourist offers. In 2017, another of its innovative and creative tourism ideas achieved first place in the German Tourism Awards: Rostock’s Dock Inn – Germany’s first hostel made of upcycled overseas shipping containers. In 2018, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was the official partner region for the international Tourism Fair in Berlin, the first federal state to be given that distinction in the history of the fair. Among other things, MV has prevailed over its competitors with its sustainable tourism concept: by buying a Forest Share, holidaymakers can support a reforestation project and neutralise their CO2 consumption during their stay.

Renewable energies: into the future with a tail wind

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has natural geographical advantages when it comes to energies of the future: a brisk wind from the Baltic, the most hours of sunlight in Germany and a lot of free space for innovation. With almost 72 % of electricity coming from wind, bio, water and sun energy, MV is number one in Germany when it comes to renewable energies.

The port-adjacent business and industrial areas strengthen the supplier structure, facilitating the establishment of productive off-shore wind energy parks such as Baltic I, which is located about ten nautical miles from the peninsula of Darss-Zingst. A wind of change blows through research and science as well: from specialised courses on renewable energies and electrical energy systems to interdisciplinary cooperation and knowledge transfer into the industry.

Imagefilm wind energy MV

A fresh wind for fresh ideas is blowing in MV.

Best work-life-balance

Work-life-balance is an important factor when choosing a career and a place to live. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's particularly advantageous conditions have attracted many international companies. The wide range of industries in MV includes tourism, healthcare, nutrition and agriculture, trade and logistics, mechanical engineering, wind energy as well as IT services and the maritime industry. Professional opportunities for tainees, first-time employees and skilled workers are manifold.

In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, you do not need to choose between a family and a career: the cost of living is relatively low and childcare is provided for almost half of all children under the age of 3 and almost all 3 to 6-year-olds. Clean, pristine nature is often just a few minutes by car from the workplace -- whether it’s the river landscape of the Müritz, one of the region’s many lakes or the Baltic Sae beach. This designated health spot with its unique natural landscape, beaches and lakes, provides a great variety of sports, leisure and wellness activities.