Labor shortage eases in Germany due to economic slowdown

The survey found that 28.3 percent of companies have too few skilled workers, compared to 31.9 percent in October. “The weak economy is currently holding back demand for skilled workers, which means that the shortage of skilled workers is being felt somewhat less,” says Klaus Wohlrabe, a researcher at the ifo Institute (ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung an der Universität München e.V.), adding that “demographic change remains a major challenge. In the long term, the shortage of skilled workers will increase again.”

However, the shortage of skilled workers remains significant in some sectors, such as service providers, where 35.1 percent of them have difficulty finding qualified workers. In the areas of legal and tax consulting and auditing, around 75 percent of companies are unable to find enough qualified workers. 62 percent of employment agencies and temporary employment agencies reported difficulties in recruiting. In accommodation services, the figure is around 42 percent.

Around 18 percent of industrial companies are unable to find enough qualified workers. The situation is particularly tense in the food industry, where 27 percent reported difficulties, 23 percent in the mechanical engineering industry and 23 percent among furniture manufacturers.