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Employers say a million jobs vacant despite crisis

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Employers say a million jobs vacant despite crisis
Photo: DPA

Despite the financial crisis and current economic woes, there are around a million jobs vacant in Germany because companies cannot find a suitable worker, employers say.

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Dieter Hundt, president of the association of German employers (BDA) attacked the government employment agency at the weekend, saying it does not do enough to match up people looking for work with the vacancies.

The agency says nearly half a million jobs are vacant, but Hundt says many more openings are not publicised in official channels.

Although he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that progress had been made over the last few years, he added, “Much too often, businesses still complain that the suggested applicants for jobs do not meet the requirements.”

Job market expert Holger Schäfer from the Institute of German Economy, which is described as close to the BDA, told the paper that the July figure of 480,000 vacancies issued last week by the employment agency was more than in the last financial crisis.

And Hundt added, “As less than half of vacancies are registered with the employment agency, the current job opportunities are being underestimated.”

The paper wrote that these figures would lead to the conclusion that around a million jobs are available in Germany, and that should they be filled, the current unemployment figure of 3.5 million could be reduced to 2.5 million.

Hundt continued, “There are many companies even in the crisis which are looking for new workers, or despite the high unemployment level, cannot find the right person quickly enough.”

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