Status: 01/23/2023 1:29 p.m
Specialists in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology are urgently needed. However, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of first-year students in these subjects has fallen significantly.
When the shortage of skilled workers is discussed, the focus is often on the so-called MINT occupational groups: the German economy is desperately looking for skilled workers in the fields of mathematics, IT, natural sciences and technology (MINT). As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the number of first-year students in these subjects has declined significantly, despite very good career prospects.
In the 2021 summer semester and 2021/22 winter semester, around 307,000 students chose one of the STEM subjects in their first semester. That was 6.5 percent less than in 2020. The number of students in MINT subjects also fell in the 2021/22 winter semester for the first time since 2007. At 1.09 million, it was 1.0 percent lower than in the previous winter semester.
“Innovative power in Germany is at risk”
According to calculations by the employer-related Institute of German Business (IW), there is already a shortage of around 140,000 experts in academic MINT professions. The bottlenecks are particularly great in the IT professions, but also in the engineering professions in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and in the construction sector.
The need for experts in these areas is likely to increase due to digitization and decarbonization, while at the same time more academics are retiring. “The declining number of students in the MINT professions is thus endangering innovative strength in Germany and thus competitiveness and sustainable prosperity,” warned IW expert Axel Plünnecke. “More MINT education, a strengthening of career and study orientation are therefore urgently needed.”
Fewer freshmen overall
The statistics authority gave several reasons for the falling number of MINT freshmen: According to the information, this decrease is related to the fact that the number of first-year students has been falling overall since 2019. In 2021 it was four percent lower than in the previous year. At the same time, the number of 17 to 22 year olds in Germany has decreased.
In addition, as a result of the corona pandemic, the number of foreigners who came to Germany to study has decreased. At the same time, however, the proportion of those who opt for MINT subjects in the first semester is falling: in 2021 it was 37.7 percent. In 2015 it was still 40.5 percent – that was the previous high.
The proportion of women in STEM subjects has increased slightly
Women are still less likely to choose to study STEM subjects than men. Over the years, however, the proportion of women among first-year students in the MINT field has increased: in 2001 it was 30.8 percent and in 2021 it was already 34.5 percent. According to the statistics office, there are major differences between the various subjects: the highest proportion of women in 2021 was in interior design (88.2 percent), the lowest in steel construction (2.2 percent). In computer science, the proportion of women among first-year students was 21.8 percent.
Overall, more women than men are starting a degree, as it was also said: The proportion of women among all students in the first semester of the 2021 academic year was 52.4 percent. Contrary to the trend at universities, training as an IT specialist has become more popular: the number of newly concluded training contracts in this profession has increased from 9,800 in 2011 to 15,800 in 2021.