More than half of German companies expect a shortage of qualified people

More than half of German companies expect to continue to have problems with a shortage of skilled qualified people in 2021. That was stated in a Bertelsmann Foundation survey. The foundation addressed members of the management of various large companies in Germany in a survey. About 54 percent of them expect a shortage of skilled workers this year as well. "Larger companies are more often affected by the shortage of skilled labor than small companies," said Matthias Mayer, a migration expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation and co-author of the study. "Healthcare and construction in particular suffer from shortages," he added. Companies in Germany are focusing on training new and current employees to fill this gap. Also to achieve a better work-life balance in order to retain employees. However, only about 17% of respondents said in a recent survey that they were looking for skilled workers abroad. They prefer workers from the European Union or European countries, followed by Asia and the Middle East. In this context, companies pointed to little experience with skilled workers from Africa. They cited language problems and the assessment of qualifications acquired in the home countries of potential employees as obstacles. Respondents also stated that legal barriers and restrictions on entry due to the new coronavirus pandemic play a secondary role in finding staff. The survey was conducted between 21 September and 20 October 2020 in German companies employing between 500 and 2,500 people.