According to a study, there have never been so many vacancies in IT professions as in the past year. The high demand for qualified specialists coincides with the falling number of graduates at universities.
The shortage of skilled workers in IT professions reached a new record level in Germany last year. In total, there were an average of 67,924 vacancies in the field of information technology nationwide in 2022 – more than ever since the beginning of the observation period in 2010, according to a study by the employer-related Institute of German Economics (IW). At the same time, there were only 27,136 unemployed with an IT qualification.
digitalization in all economic sectors
According to the study, the expansion of the digital infrastructure in all sectors of the economy in particular is leading to an increased need for qualified IT specialists. Since 2015, not all jobs in IT professions can be filled with qualified unemployed people.
During the corona pandemic, there was a temporary decrease in the number of vacancies. But the number has been increasing significantly since 2021.
Above all University graduates miss
According to the study, the lack of experts with a university degree is particularly great. There was a shortage of almost 34,000 skilled workers last year alone. For eight out of ten vacancies at this qualification level, there were no suitably qualified unemployed.
The IW experts emphasized that this gap cannot be closed in the short to medium term even by graduates. Since the number of students in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology has decreased in recent years in the first university semesters, a further decrease in the number of graduates is to be expected.
Opportunities for career changers
In view of this situation, companies see the recruitment of skilled workers from abroad as a possible solution in the fight against the shortage of skilled workers in the IT sector.
A promising strategy is also to give career changers from other professional groups and climbers from lower qualification levels a chance.