Demand for Skilled Workers

Jobs in technical and commercial fields are most badly hit, in particular in manufacturing, mechatronics, automation and mechanical engineering. Other fields which are affected are jobs in the nursing sector and the skilled trades in the area of sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology, as well as jobs in the engineering and construction sector. Last but not least, public administrations are also facing more and more shortages.

Jobs requiring vocational training make up 90 percentage of shortages. The situation on the vocational training market is also becoming more and more critical. Each year thousands of jobs remain unfilled, and the FrankfurtRheinMain region is not exempt. Traineeships in the food industry, the hairdressing trade, hospitality, construction and related jobs, as well as metallurgy are particularly difficult to fill.

There are various reasons for the shortage of skilled workers, the most important being demographic change. The baby boomer generation is retiring, leaving fewer qualified workers on the job market. In addition, there is a backlog after the corona-imposed slump in recruitment, as well as an increased demand for skilled workers in technical areas and the trades in the course of the transition to renewable energy.

Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are facing enormous challenges with these difficult external conditions. They often lack the resources to recruit personnel professionally.

• Shortage of skilled workers in the Metropolitan Region of FrankfurtRheinMain in 2022: 132,000 vacancies
• Shortage of skilled workers in the Metropolitan Region of FrankfurtRheinMain by 2035: 476,900 vacancies
• Estimated decline in skilled workers in the Metropolitan Region by 2035: 29% fewer skilled workers

Worst hit areas: technical jobs in manufacturing, mechatronics, automation and mechanical engineering, nursing, skilled trades in the area of sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology