Thursday, November 18, 2021
Much more so in the construction industry
Almost 40 percent of all apprenticeships are vacant
Companies complain about a lack of applications and suitable applicants. A labor market researcher describes the situation as the “Corona crisis in training”, but calls for companies to be more willing to compromise.
Almost 40 percent of the apprenticeship positions in Germany that could have been filled by companies had not been allocated by September in the current apprenticeship year. This is the result of a study by the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research (IAB), which was presented in Berlin. The crisis is particularly pronounced in smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees and in construction, said the head of the institute, Bernd Fitzenberger.
49 percent of the smaller companies remained seated on the training positions they offered. In the construction industry, 60 percent of the apprenticeships remained open. “We are in a corona training crisis that could have dramatic consequences,” said Fitzenberger. The situation has an impact, for example, on the potential of skilled workers in Germany, but also on the life satisfaction of young people. In the case of high school graduates, this collapsed dramatically.
The IAB surveyed companies entitled to train in the period from 6 to 20 September. Not all of the training positions that companies would have liked to have been reported to the Federal Agency for. Accordingly, the figures do not completely match the figures published by the Federal Agency. According to this, 63,200 positions were still open at the end of September, compared to 24,200 unplaced applicants.
The main reasons given by the companies for not filling training positions were the lack of applications and suitable applicants. “We cannot actually afford not to employ young people who apply,” said Fitzenberger. The companies would have to be more willing to compromise.
Overall, according to the Federal Employment Agency, the number of those looking for a training place fell by 7.7 percent in the current training year.