Print version Recommend this page Press release
10/ 2012
Bonn, 02.03.2012
One in three companies experiencing difficulties in finding skilled workers and trainees
The results of a representative company survey of the labour market and training market situation in Germany conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) reveal that, across the country as a whole in 2010, about one in three companies were not able to recruit any or enough applicants to fill vacant positions. Production firms, companies operating in the manufacturing sector and corporate service providers are particularly likely to be affected, the main problem in these cases being a lack of company trained skilled workers. The difficulties involved in seeking an alternative to the recruitment of external skilled workers by acquiring young people for the companies' own training schemes have now become enormous. One in three companies (35%) also reports a lack of demand for its own training provision. Companies offering personally related and other services are especially likely to complain about a shortage in the supply of young skilled workers.
More than 2,000 company owners, human resources managers and managing directors were questioned about initial and continuing training in their own companies as part of last year's so-called "BIBB Training Panel".
The information provided by the companies surveyed on the productivity of trainees shows the high degree of benefit which companies associate with the training of their own skilled workers. Trainees are capable of productive deployment for an average of 50% of their total time as early as the first year of training and thus assist in covering company training and skilled worker requirements. This means that training extends beyond a mere recruitment function to provide an instrument via which companies are able to secure the supply of skilled workers. Notwithstanding this, one problematic area is that the majority of companies surveyed (58%) believes that demographic developments will mean that the difficulties on the training market with regard to the search for suitable young people will continue to exacerbate over the next few years. For this reason, approximately 12% of companies intend either to reduce the number of training places they currently offer or else to cease providing company-based training entirely.
Background information
The "BIBB Training Panel" is an annual survey of training and competence development funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is used to collect representative data on the training activities of companies in Germany. Over 2,000 companies took part in the first wave of the survey in the spring of 2011. Companies were selected on the basis of a random sample of the total statistical population of companies with at least one employee subject to mandatory social insurance contribu-tions.
For further (German language) information, please visit www.qualifizierungspanel.de .
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