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The new challenge: Going beyond the shortage of skilled workers
“Five to ten years ago, we placed advertisements to sell our services. Today we place advertisements in all kinds of media to attract employees,” explains Markus Winter, managing director of the industrial service provider IDS in Baden-Württemberg, in an article in Deutsche Wave. This development highlights a growing problem: it is no longer just a question of a shortage of skilled workers, but of a general workforce problem.
Nicole Korset-Ristic, Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, agrees: “We are no longer just talking about sought-after specialist staff, but about a lack of workers for basic work in areas such as retail, hospitality, cleaning or logistics,” reports RBB24. Unfilled shifts, canceled orders and a high fluctuation of skilled workers are direct consequences of this shortage.
Experts and studies, such as those from the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2019, emphasize the need for at least 260,000 immigrants annually by 2060 to compensate for the demographically driven decline in the labor supply. Faced with this challenge, many companies are turning to recruiting foreign workers.
The free movement of workers within the EU offers a unique opportunity. EU citizens can freely choose where they work and live, which opens up an extensive pool of talent – without additional bureaucratic hurdles for companies. Employees immediately enjoy the same rights as their German colleagues.
Despite the language barrier, an often-cited obstacle, the EF English Proficiency Index shows that many EU citizens have intermediate to good English skills. The Federal Employment Agency also supports EU citizens with professional language courses to make it easier for them to enter the German job market.
Recruiting unskilled workers from other EU countries is an effective strategy to counteract the labor shortage. Companies that take this path can, with the help of Jobsmart.eu, tap into new personnel potential, secure their competitiveness and continue their entrepreneurial success.
Germany is urgently looking for workers – Deutsche Welle
Shortage of skilled workers in Berlin and Brandenburg – RBB24
German labor market and immigration – Bertelsmann Foundation