Farm Owners Struggle to Recruit Apprentices (Azubis)
In a recent survey conducted by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), it was revealed that nearly half of the companies (48%) were unable to fill all their apprentice positions last year. This shortage of skilled labor is primarily due to demographic changes, social integration barriers, and gaps in vocational preparation.
According to the findings, the demographic shift in Germany is resulting in fewer young people available for apprenticeships, intensifying the skilled labor shortage faced by companies. Additionally, research from the University of Siegen highlights that candidates with migration backgrounds face significant discrimination during the apprenticeship application process, reducing the pool of accessible suitable candidates for many companies.
The structural difficulty in filling apprenticeship positions is further compounded by the fact that some young people do not have school qualifications or lose training places, requiring additional support programmes to prepare and integrate them successfully into vocational training.
Achim Dercks, deputy CEO of the DIHK, stated that there is a lack of basic knowledge and skills necessary for every training occupation. He suggested a focus on basic skills in schools to address this issue.
The industries facing the most difficulty in filling training positions are industry, transport, construction, and trade. Companies consider work and social behavior, followed by basic mental performance and school knowledge, to be particularly important in their apprentices.
87 percent of companies see deficiencies in the training prerequisites, particularly in resilience, discipline, mental performance, and willingness and motivation to perform. Nearly three-quarters of companies with recruitment difficulties said they had not received any suitable applications. Only a third of companies with recruitment difficulties cited a lack of applications as the main reason.
Despite these challenges, two-thirds of training companies were able to take on all their apprentices. It is evident that addressing the root causes of this skilled labor shortage, such as improving basic skills in schools and addressing discrimination in the application process, is crucial for the future success of German companies.
- To overcome the skilled labor shortage in Germany, it is essential for the government and educational institutions to focus on improving economic and social policy, particularly in the areas of education-and-self-development and finance, to ensure that young people have the necessary qualifications and resources to pursue apprenticeships.
- In order to effectively address the skilled labor shortage, businesses must prioritize finance and education-and-self-development when evaluating potential apprentices, ensuring they choose candidates with a strong foundation in work and social behavior, basic mental performance, and school knowledge.
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