Almost 40 percent of all training positions in Germany remain vacant according to a study by the employer-related Institute of German Economics (IW). The economic researchers reported on Tuesday that professions in which there is already a pronounced shortage of skilled workers are also severely affected. According to the researchers, the number of reported vacant training positions has risen almost continuously since 2013.
Last year, a good 63,000 reported positions remained unfilled, which corresponds to almost twelve percent of the training offer. But the problem is much bigger. “If those jobs are also considered that are not reported to the employment agencies for a variety of reasons, this proportion is significantly higher at almost 40 percent,” reported the IW.
“The shortage of skilled workers on the labor market has continued to increase in recent years. In more and more professions, not all vacancies can be filled,” says the study. The economy has reacted to this and offered more training places in areas where there is a sustained shortage of skilled workers, but these apparently do not meet the taste. It is proving to be an increasing problem to bring together the offers and the wishes of the young people.
The experts emphasized that there are unfilled training positions in many professions and regions, while there are unplaced applicants in other professions and regions. For example, there is a clear gap in skilled workers and numerous training positions in the sale of meat and baked goods. But interest is low. The number of vacancies here is greater than the number of completed training contracts.
In other professions – such as plumbers, catering specialists or concrete and reinforced concrete workers – it is similar. The experts called for greater attention to be drawn to occupations with a high shortage of skilled workers and vacancies in vocational orientation. This is also in the interests of the young people, because they not only have a better chance of finding a vacant training place, but also better prospects of later employment – and then often better earning prospects.