Top 5 Skill Shortage Sectors in Germany
According to research, Germany would suffer a 3 million worker skills deficit by 2030. The reasons for this include a rise in the number of elderly people and a drop in the birth rate. Specific regions and sectors are already having difficulty filling certain posts due to the skill shortage. Companies in southern and eastern Germany are confronting a skills crisis, and people in STEM and health-related occupations are in short supply. According to studies, 352 of the 801 occupations will confront a skills shortage. Engineering, healthcare, and information technology will all be impacted. A lack of skilled people with occupational qualifications will exist. Skills shortages will affect the following occupations:
- Medical and healthcare service professionals
- Engineering professionals (mechanical, automotive, and electrical engineering), software development/programming, supply and waste management, STEM-related fields
- Electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, toolmakers welders, etc.
- Elderly care professionals
- Despite the fact that Covid-19 appears to have exacerbated the problem, the German government has been striving for years to close the skills gap.
In 2019, the German government proposed legislation to make it easier for people with vocational skills to enter the country. The Skilled Immigration Act went into force in March 2020, the same month that the country went into its first national Covid-19 lockdown. According to the KfW-ifo Skilled Labour Barometer, labour shortages affected around 30% of German businesses at the time. With this legislation, German businesses will be able to hire brilliant people from other countries who have completed the required vocational training, which must entail at least two years of experience. Previously, if a company was forced to hire such people, the occupation had to be on a shortage occupations list. Qualified workers were unable to immigrate as a result, and employers were unable to hire them. If the act is passed, restrictions on hiring foreign workers for short-term jobs will be lifted.
The top five industries with a skills deficit in 2022 are as below:
- Medical professionals
In the future years, Germany is projected to face a lack of medical personnel. Individuals with an international medical degree can obtain a license to practice medicine in the United States. A license to practice in Germany is available to both EU and non-EU candidates. Their degree, however, must be equivalent to the medical qualification required by municipal authorities in Germany.
- Engineering professionals
Those having a university degree in any of these engineering fields would have a lot of job options. The following engineering disciplines are likely to have a lack of workers:
- Structural engineering
- Computer science engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Automotive engineering
- Telecommunications
- MINT (Mathematics, Information Technology, Natural Sciences, and Technology)
Job prospects will be plentiful for those with degrees in mathematics, information technology, natural sciences, and technology (MINT). In the field of information technology, there were 124,000 job openings. In the last two years, the scarcity has more than doubled. It is anticipated that this trend will continue in the coming years.
- Lack of skills in non-specialized areas
In areas that do not require specialist degrees, such as healthcare, industrial mechanics, and retail sales, Germany will face a skills deficit. Industrial mechanics: Professionals in machine engineering, industrial mechanics, and operational technology will face a skills shortage. Retail Salespersons: Trained retail sales experts and sales associates will be in high demand.
- Nurses and healthcare professionals
Professionals who have completed the requisite training will be in high demand. Healthcare, emergency medical services, aged care, and obstetrics will all offer employment. The German Association of Cities estimates that 230,000 educators and 300,000 nurses will be hired in clinics, nursing homes, and daycare facilities alone in the coming years. According to the CEDEFOP research, experts in science, engineering, business, healthcare, and teaching will be in high demand. High-level professionals in these disciplines are estimated to account for 25% of occupations. Technicians are predicted to account for 17% of positions, while clerical support professionals will account for 14%. In terms of job growth over the next ten years, farm and associated labor is predicted to rise the most. Employment in the services sector, such as professional, administrative, and financial services, will expand in the country.
According to a CEDEFOP research, real estate and telecommunications operations will see the most job growth. Human health activities and other rental retail sectors, on the other hand, will see the greatest increase. Professionals in business and administration, as well as personal care and sales care workers, will have the most predicted total job vacancies (including new jobs and replacements).
