'90 percent of German companies' struggling to find qualified candidates
A new analysis by job hunting platform Stepstone showed that companies in Germany are struggling with a shortage of skilled workers, and hence seeing many positions go unfilled.
According to this analysis, 90 percent of companies cannot find suitable candidates for their vacancies.
The representative survey included 10,000 respondents, among them 2,800 managers and HR professionals.
Around 76 percent of survey takers also reported a loss of productivity in their workplace as a result of unfilled positions, an increase of 16 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Public sector professionals in particular complained about the consequences of staff shortages: 88 percent of them reported problems in the provision of their products and services.
READ ALSO: Germany grapples with ‘360,000 open positions’ in public sector
Eighty-three percent in the health and social services sectors also reported skilled worker shortages. In Germany, there is a current lack of around 50,000 teachers and 14,000 nursing staff.
New hires are planned
In response to the tense situation, almost every second employer in the public sector plans to recruit new employees within the next three months. Among all employers in general, one-third are looking to recruit new staff.
Exactly the same number of companies have also already hired new staff in the last three months.
But 90 percent of all respondents highlighted one problem: they were having difficulty finding suitable candidates for the vacancies they wanted to fill.
"We are already seeing the negative economic effects when jobs go unfilled," says labour market expert Tobias Zimmermann.
"Matching the right candidates with the right jobs and companies will become the game changer in the future."
In March 2024, a new law making it easier for skilled workers to come to Germany is set to come into force.
Last year, around 630,000 vacancies advertised in Germany lacked qualified applicants, with almost all career sectors desperate for additional staff.
READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Germany's new skilled worker law to come into force 'in March 2024'
Vocabulary
New hires - (die) Neueinstellungen
Job vacancies - offene Stellen
Gamechanger - (der) Spielentscheider
services - (die) Dienstleistungen
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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According to this analysis, 90 percent of companies cannot find suitable candidates for their vacancies.
The representative survey included 10,000 respondents, among them 2,800 managers and HR professionals.
Around 76 percent of survey takers also reported a loss of productivity in their workplace as a result of unfilled positions, an increase of 16 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Public sector professionals in particular complained about the consequences of staff shortages: 88 percent of them reported problems in the provision of their products and services.
READ ALSO: Germany grapples with ‘360,000 open positions’ in public sector
Eighty-three percent in the health and social services sectors also reported skilled worker shortages. In Germany, there is a current lack of around 50,000 teachers and 14,000 nursing staff.
New hires are planned
In response to the tense situation, almost every second employer in the public sector plans to recruit new employees within the next three months. Among all employers in general, one-third are looking to recruit new staff.
Exactly the same number of companies have also already hired new staff in the last three months.
But 90 percent of all respondents highlighted one problem: they were having difficulty finding suitable candidates for the vacancies they wanted to fill.
"We are already seeing the negative economic effects when jobs go unfilled," says labour market expert Tobias Zimmermann.
"Matching the right candidates with the right jobs and companies will become the game changer in the future."
In March 2024, a new law making it easier for skilled workers to come to Germany is set to come into force.
Last year, around 630,000 vacancies advertised in Germany lacked qualified applicants, with almost all career sectors desperate for additional staff.
READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Germany's new skilled worker law to come into force 'in March 2024'
Vocabulary
New hires - (die) Neueinstellungen
Job vacancies - offene Stellen
Gamechanger - (der) Spielentscheider
services - (die) Dienstleistungen
We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.
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