Germany’s economy may be among the worst hit in Europe by the downturn, but for most of the country’s 80m inhabitants, the recession has been visible only through newspaper headlines.

This is about to change. This week’s revelation that steelmaker ThyssenKrupp was preparing to shed 3,000 jobs could mark a milestone in the country’s fall from economic grace, bringing the slump home to millions of workers and spelling the start of real trouble for its politicians.