fewer degrees
Many apprenticeship positions remain vacant
04/13/2022, 11:17 am
Companies have been struggling for years to fill all of their training positions. The problem is getting worse during the Corona crisis. A number of employers now want to become more attractive and are willing to make compromises.
According to a study, companies in Germany have found it more difficult to fill their training positions since the beginning of the Corona crisis. The number of degrees also fell as a result of the pandemic. In a representative survey by the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research (IAB), almost half of the companies stated that the number of applications had fallen. About 40 percent also reported that the quality of the applications had decreased.
According to the published results, at least one young person successfully completed their training in 38 percent of the training companies last year. Two years earlier, the share had been 55 percent.
The reasons given by the companies were the smaller training years and restrictions caused by the pandemic, such as postponed examinations or content that could not be taught in the planned time. The dual vocational training is important in order to secure the need for skilled workers in companies, said IAB director Bernd Fitzenberger. “The prerequisites for this are first of all that they can fill the training positions they offer and that the trainees can successfully complete the training. Both have suffered significantly in the pandemic.”
Employers want to become more attractive
According to the study, a third of the companies also reported that it was more difficult to get in touch with potential applicants during the Corona crisis. 43 percent offered fewer or no internships for school students – especially the companies that were particularly hard hit by the economic consequences of the pandemic.
In order to fill training places, many companies say they are trying to become more attractive to applicants, for example through better pay and additional benefits. A good half of the companies also stated that they made compromises when it came to the quality of the applications, for example when it came to school-leaving certificates. “This is an important step, since the many unfilled training places are offset by a high number of unplaced training place seekers, who are often young people with low school qualifications,” said IAB researcher Ute Leber.