One in three training places will be unoccupied by 2023
The Federal Employment Agency reports a new record high of unfilled apprenticeship positions for 2023, with half of the spots remaining vacant in some sectors. The lack of suitable applications is a primary reason for this.
Last year saw more apprenticeship positions left unfilled than ever before. A total of 35 percent of all apprenticeship places in 2023 could not be filled, according to the IAB research institute of the Federal Employment Agency (BA). In 2010, this figure was 15 percent. Businesses most frequently cited the lack of suitable applications as the main reason.
"Findings based on the IAB company panel for the apprenticeship market reflect the shift since the 2010s from an employer's market to a candidate's market," said IAB director Bernd Fitzenberger. "This exacerbates the skills shortage, triggered by a decreasing number of applicants despite a continued high number of apprenticeship offers."
The construction industry and personnel-intensive services such as hairdressing have the biggest recruitment problems, with nearly half of all apprenticeship places remaining unfilled. Almost all segments of the apprenticeship market have been affected by recruitment issues, where there were hardly any filling problems at the beginning of the 2010s, said IAB researcher Barbara Schwengler.
Few suitable applications, insufficient incentives
The unfilled quota was slightly lower in West Germany than in East Germany in 2023, and it decreased with the size of the company: small businesses could not fill around 57 percent of their offered apprenticeship places, while large businesses had a rate of 12 percent.
According to around 15,000 surveyed businesses, 50 percent of apprenticeship places could not be filled due to a lack of suitable applications. Unattractive working conditions and the poor image of some apprenticeship professions played the most significant role in explaining filling problems from the business perspective.
To increase the attractiveness of apprenticeships, businesses primarily use bonuses and special payments, such as for passing exams or vacation and Christmas bonuses. 62 percent of all businesses that offered apprenticeship places in 2023 paid such benefits.
The IAB research institute of the Federal Employment Agency reported a significant increase in unfilled apprenticeship positions, with 35% of places remaining vacant in 2023, as per their 2023 research. According to the IAB director, Bernd Fitzenberger, the shift from an employer's market to a candidate's market is contributing to the skills shortage, with a decreasing number of applicants despite a high number of apprenticeship offers.
