Germany’s Worker Shortage Set to Double

Germany could face a shortage of 723,000 skilled workers by 2029, nearly double the 370,000-worker shortfall projected for 2025, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) based on data through the end of 2024.

As Spiegel notes, the shortage will deepen across several key sectors if current trends continue.

The largest shortfall is expected in retail, where approximately 39,100 sales positions are projected to remain unfilled. Significant shortages are also expected in child care and education, with 29,900 vacancies, followed by social work and pedagogy with 23,600, nursing with 18,700 and electrical engineering with 17,400.

The study’s author, Alexander Burstedde, attributes the worsening trend primarily to the mass retirement of baby boomers and an insufficient influx of new workers, partly due to a decline in recruitment from abroad.

(max)