DIHK: Azubi shortage continues to worsen
In the survey published on Thursday by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), more than a third of businesses - 35 percent - reported that they had not received a single application. This translates to around 30,000 training companies.
The industries most affected are industry, hospitality, retail, transport, and construction, according to Achim Dercks, deputy CEO of DIHK. Small businesses are particularly struggling.
The causes of the apprenticeship shortage are varied, with the demographic shift being one factor. According to DIHK, young people lack "efficient and targeted career orientation". Schools should allocate more time to this, and financial and MINT (math, IT, natural sciences, and technology) topics should play a bigger role in lessons.
A lack of "solid basic education" is also often a problem, as shown by recent results from the PISA studies. "Our education system needs to improve in this area," Dercks demanded.
"Out of necessity, companies are increasingly taking matters into their own hands and supporting young people with various difficulties," he said. This can range from German and math tutoring to social pedagogical services and coaching programs to improve self-management and motivation.
As the survey shows, more than half of German companies now use social media marketing to reach young people. However, these channels cannot replace personal contact, with over 70 percent of companies recruiting apprentices through trial days or internships. A company's own website remains particularly important.
More and more companies are also hiring or trying to recruit people from abroad. In 2019, this was 41 percent of companies, rising to 48 percent in 2023. The hospitality and transport and logistics sectors are particularly in need of foreign apprentices, Dercks explained.
However, there are still hurdles to employing foreign apprentices, with language being the biggest challenge. 81 percent of companies see insufficient German language skills as the biggest obstacle. Complex bureaucratic processes for visa and residence procedures also make recruitment difficult for 43 percent of training companies.
The Left party group in the Bundestag also sees poor working conditions as a reason for the difficulties in filling vacant positions. "Too many people are poorly supervised, poorly or not paid at all, and have no reliable prospects," said Nicole Gohlke, the Left party's education spokeswoman. She also criticized the government's "deliberate inaction" on this issue.
The DIHK's apprenticeship survey is based on data from over 13,000 companies in the chamber of industry and commerce sector.
mb/ilo
The survey revealed that The majority of applications were not received by 35% of these businesses, equating to approximately 30,000 training companies. The education system necessitates improvement in providing "efficient and targeted career orientation" to young people.
