Status: 11/21/2022 2:25 p.m
There is already an increasing shortage of workers in many sectors of the economy. The problem will get much worse as the baby boomer generation retires. How can countermeasures be taken?
In Germany, the lack of workers is already becoming increasingly noticeable. However, the situation threatens to worsen dramatically in the coming years. According to a study by the Nuremberg Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB), there is a risk of losing seven million workers by 2035 if no countermeasures are taken.
“By 2035, Germany will lose seven million workers due to demographic change and thus a seventh of the labor market,” said IAB researcher Enzo Weber, one of four authors of the study. “But the shrinkage can be stopped if all levers are set in motion to keep older people in the job, to strengthen the professional development of women, to attract and integrate immigrants, to further reduce unemployment and to increase the birth rate,” stressed Weber.
Women with a migration background with great potential
According to the experts, the employment rates for men in the middle age groups are already over 90 percent. So there is only “little room for improvement” here. According to the experts, the employment rate of German women in this age group is 85 to 90 percent, so it could still increase to a limited extent. The labor force participation of women with non-German citizenship, on the other hand, is currently up to 20 percentage points lower. “A higher rate seems quite conceivable for them,” says the IAB study.
However, the IAB also sees potential in the increasing labor market participation of older people. The employment rates of 60 to 64 year olds are up to 20 percentage points lower than those of 55 to 59 year olds.