Qualified labor shortage in Germany expected to worsen

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - The shortage of skilled labor in Germany's aging population is expected to increase in the coming years, according to research by the German Economic Institute (IW) on Monday.

It is estimated that 768,000 positions in Germany will not be filled by sufficiently qualified specialists by 2028.

The shortage of qualified labor was previously reported to average 487,000 in 2024.

Jurek Tiedemann, an IW economist, said that the main reason for the increase in the labor shortage is demographic change.

In the coming years, a large number of people will retire, and if the country cannot reduce this shortage, it will be felt by even more people in their daily lives in the future, he added.

The study revealed that the largest decline in skilled labor will be in metalworking professions; it is estimated that the number of qualified workers in these professions will decrease by approximately 161,200 by 2028.

The study recommended expanding career guidance in schools, increasing incentives for longer-term employment, and facilitating skilled migration on a large scale to address the skilled labor shortage in the country.