- Training starts - one in two jobs still unfilled
Before the start of the training year on Thursday, there are still many open positions in Lower Saxony and Bremen. According to the Federal Employment Agency, only around half of the training positions were filled in both federal states by the end of June. "There are good chances to start an apprenticeship this year," said the head of the Federal Employment Agency in Lower Saxony and Bremen, Johannes Pfeiffer. "Many companies are offering attractive training positions immediately."
Particularly many positions are open in the following areas, according to the employment agency: Retail merchants, salespersons, and logistics specialists. Alone in these three professions, there are still 5074 open positions in Bremen and Lower Saxony. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Lower Saxony (IHKN) stated that there is simply a lack of applicants. "About half of the companies may not be able to fill all their training positions, and about a third may not receive any applications at all," said Sönke Feldhusen from IHKN. There is no improvement in sight, according to the chamber: Given the demographic change, the shortage of applicants will worsen in the future.
There is still a lot of movement on the training market
In Lower Saxony, there were 46,323 training positions reported by the end of June, with 41,290 applicants. Nevertheless, 23,684 positions remained unfilled - that's about 51 percent. A similar picture can be seen in Bremen: There were 4,592 positions reported by the end of June. 3,990 young people applied - 2,138 positions remained unfilled (about 46 percent).
"However, there is still a lot of movement on the training market at this time," said Oliver Kriebel, deputy CEO of the Chamber of Crafts in Bremen. Many training programs start as late as September 1, and some even later. "The demand from training companies is high. Unfortunately, not all of them find the suitable applicants." Many young people "don't have the crafts in mind."
The exception in the crafts is the motor vehicle mechatronics, which is the second most popular training profession in both Lower Saxony and Bremen. Even more popular: Office manager. Following in third, fourth, and fifth places are salespersons, medical assistants, and retail merchants. Every fourth applicant applies for one of these five professions. Nevertheless, there are still open positions here.
Do companies set too high standards? Pfeiffer advises employers: "Give a chance to those applicants who may not seem optimal at first glance." But he also has a tip for students who still don't have a perspective after graduation: "Get support from our career guidance and be open to alternatives."
For those who still can't find a training position despite all efforts, the so-called training guarantee applies from August 1. Employment agencies and job centers should then offer them an extra-company training as a last resort. This applies, for example, to young people who live in regions with too few training positions.
In the current situation, over 23,684 training positions remain unfilled in Lower Saxony, which makes up approximately 51% of the total reported positions.Similarly, in Bremen, about 46% of the reported training positions remain vacant, totaling 2,138 positions.
