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49/ 2008
Bonn, 19.12.2008
Situation on the vocational training market continues to improve despite drop in the number of new vocational training contracts
BIBB presents initial analysis of how the vocational training market developed in 2008
Some 616,600 new training contracts were signed in Germany during the period from 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008, approximately 9,300 or 1.5% fewer contracts than during the same period one year earlier, according to a survey conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) as of 30 September 2008. Despite this, the training place market for young people was better than in 2007 because the number of school leavers and unplaced training place seekers from previous years declined (-34,000 and -64,600 respectively). However, some 84,200 training place applicants were still looking for a vacant training place as of 30 September and the upswing seen on the vocational training market levelled off noticeably during the last months of the reporting period.
- The fundamental cause for the decline was the reduction in the number of extra-company training places which had been generated in Germany's eastern states in the years since German unification to make up for the lack of in-company training places. But since the number of school leavers in the eastern states has fallen off dramatically, the amount of government-funded extra-company vocational training being offered has been reduced on a selected basis. All in all, approximately 113,800 new vocational training contracts were registered in the eastern states, some 11,300 or 9% fewer than during the same period one year before. The easing of the situation on the vocational training market that has been observed since 2006 continued during the reporting period despite the marked decline in the number of new vocational training contracts signed. The reason: The decline in the number of youths seeking vocational training was greater than the decline seen in the number of training places being offered.
- By contrast, the number of new training contracts signed in Germany's western states increased once again to a total of approximately 502,800 (+2,000 or 0.4%) - the highest level since 1992. The increase was not however as great as expected at the start of the year.
It became evident during the course of the year that the upswing that had begun in 2006 was coming to an end. Firms reported markedly fewer (-30,700) in-company training places to the Federal Employment Agency for placement during the second half of the 2007/2008 reporting year than during the previous reporting year. The number of in-company training places being offered for the 2007/2008 reporting period remained at the same level as the previous year only because the situation was still positive at the start of the year.
Although the demographic trend has led to an easing of the situation on the training place market, many youths still experienced considerable difficulty finding a training place in 2008. The Federal Employment Agency still had 84,200 training place seekers registered with its offices who were not undergoing vocational training and were still the subject of placement efforts as of 30 September 2008, the end of the placement year. Some 69,700 of this group had found an alternative to in-company vocational training. Most of the training place seekers came from the western states (72,700). There were 19,500 vacant in-company training places still available for youths who were yet looking for a training place at that time.
Manfred Kremer, president of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), is appealing to enterprises to take the long view despite the negative economic outlook for 2009 and to refrain from cutting back on their vocational training activities. As Kremer pointed out, continuing to offer in-company vocational training is in their own interest because recruiting young skilled labour will be increasingly difficult in the coming years in the wake of the sharp drop in the younger population. There will be nearly 50,000 fewer school leavers in 2009 and this demographic slump will continue over the next decade. "Those who put the brakes now on vocational training will put the brakes on themselves when the economy starts picking up again", Manfred Kremer noted. "Trade and industry would be well-advised to keep a close eye on the risk of a future shortage of skilled workers, even during a period of impending recession. Firms that respond with a long-sighted approach and provide in-company vocational training are creating competitive advantages for themselves in the future."
Nuanced analyses and statistics on how the vocational training market developed in 2008 are available on the BIBB homepage at www.bibb.de/de/50557.htm and www.bibb.de/de/50489.htm
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a peaceful Christmas and a healthy and successful New Year.
