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Germany has continued to have stable employment rates over the past 20 years. Despite this, there is still a labor shortage. Several factors contribute to Germany’s labor shortage. One is the growing demographic imbalance, with over a fifth of the German population aged over 65. Another is that there are simply not enough qualified professionals for many professions. Although people have fears about how automation will change the job market and potentially replace humans, there are currently many industries that desperately need more employees.
Which areas are especially affected?
Professions such as social work, childcare, and education, and sales have the the largest shortage of skilled professionals in Germany. The transport and logistics industry had the most job vacancies in 2023, although medical wellness and the education and social profession were also ranked in the top 10. Similarly, apprenticeship programs are also struggling to recruit people. There has been a decline in the number of applicants for apprenticeship positions over the past 12 years. In the early 2000s, there were often more applicants than positions available; however, the reverse has been true for the past 10 years. Additionally, the gap between the number of applicants and offered positions has been growing recently, suggesting that if the trend continues, the demand will also only increase.
Employee turnover and the future of Germany’s working population
Over 50 percent of companies in various industries such as construction, production of capital, and consumer goods had issues with employee turnover this year and some companies answered that this was becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for them. Furthermore, the shortage of skilled workers was considered the second largest business risk for German companies. Even in a scenario in which there is a high rate of migration in Germany, there will still be a steady decrease in the number of skilled workers over the next 20 years. Therefore, companies will have to come up with solutions so that their business will suffer minimal impact with the seemingly certain shortages. This could include offering in-house trainings for specific roles, automating certain jobs, or restructuring the company to fill gaps.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 6, 2024
Key insights
- Number of employed people residing in Germany
- 45.9m
Detailed statistics
Number of employed people in Germany April 2023–April 2024
- Number of open job positions in Germany
- 770k
Detailed statistics
Number of job openings reported in Germany 2011-2023
- Number of EU27 and UK countries experiencing shortage of nursing professionals
- 18
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Number of countries experiencing labor shortages in the European Union 2022
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