Unemployment is rising rapidly: Germany is fighting a shortage of skilled workers!

Unemployment is rising rapidly: Germany is fighting a shortage of skilled workers!

The labor market situation in Germany is dismal: with over 3 million unemployed, the number has reached a record high Picture reported. Despite the high number of unemployed people, there are paradoxically enough vacancies - 631,000 across Germany, which results in a ratio of 100 unemployed people to 21 vacancies. This discrepancy highlights an acute imbalance in the labor market.

Holger Schäfer, a renowned labor market economist at the German Economic Institute in Cologne, explains that many unemployed people are primarily looking for simple jobs. In contrast, most job offers urgently need qualified specialists. Sectors such as the healthcare sector are particularly affected, where 71,000 new jobs were created in the geriatric care sector alone.

Skills shortage in view

If you take a look at the current situation, it becomes clear that the shortage of skilled workers will remain one of the biggest challenges for the German labor market in 2025. In March there were loud noises Statista There were over 387,000 vacancies for qualified workers. The vacancy rate is an impressive 86 percent, which is well above the global average of 74 percent. A problem that not only affects mechanical engineering or technology, but also greatly affects trade and health professions.

The demand for qualified specialists is enormous, while at the same time the number of trained young professionals is declining. In 2023, employers reported over 73,000 unfilled training positions, and the trend is upwards. This gap is caused not least by demographic change and growing skills gaps in several areas. A problem that is also exacerbated by the inadequate integration of immigration.

Sectors on the rise and concerns for employers

We see that hiring is still being pushed forward in some areas: jobs in public administration increased by 45,000, in healthcare by 66,000 and something is also happening in the geriatric care sector. But this positive news is in stark contrast to the concerns of the industry, which is losing 10,000 jobs every month. Association boss Wolfgang Molitor emphasizes that over 50,000 new jobs could be created if there were enough applicants. Employer President Rainer Dulger is therefore calling for quick measures and decisions from the government to defuse the unfortunate situation.

This complex problem is not only considered by labor market experts such as Enzo Weber, who works at the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, with regard to increasing unemployment and the shortage of skilled workers. Rather, it is important to secure a sustainable supply of skilled workers, which should focus on education, further training, the creation of better conditions for women and older workers as well as innovative work cultures.

With regard to future developments, we are required to tackle the challenges together and find solutions, because as the saying goes: There is something to be done! The coming months will show whether policymakers are able to make the changes needed to combat both the skills shortage and rising unemployment.