The issue of a shortage of skilled workers, which was also featured on Best of HR - Berufebilder.de® has been hotly debated, is always the subject of heated polemics. All the more surprising for me was a differentiated panel discussion on the topic, which answered the question “skills shortage or not” with a decided “yes and no”. Illuminating results.

Antje Rabenalt

Fuore cares for the time Professor Dr. Gerd Bosbach from the Rhein-Ahr-Campus in Remagen with his book "Lies with numbers: How we are manipulated with statistics" in which he explains the statistical lies of our Society takes aim. The figures circulating in the media, such as the 6,5 million shortage of skilled workers by 2025, are just coffee grounds reading.

What are professionals?

I had therefore expected a correspondingly polemical discussion at the panel discussion “Das Story from the shortage of skilled workers?" on the occasion of the 2012 Personnel Recruitment Conference Future in the center last week in Berlin. And then I was pleasantly surprised.

So Bosbach advocated simply differentiating what is actually meant by skilled workers: that is a very flexible one Term, whose Definition oscillates somewhere between a doctor and a bakery saleswoman and who is therefore defined in the way that suits him.

Skills shortage discussion

Is there a shortage of skilled labor in Germany? It discussed (from left to right) Dr. Karl Brenke from the DIW, Malte Hansen from the Bund der Personalmanager, Antje Rabenalt from Zukunft im Zentrum and Professor Dr. Gerd Bosbach from the Rhein-Ahr-Campus.

Do not trust statistics ...

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At all, one should always distinguish between absolute and relative numbers and, in the case of statistics, prefer to find what is meaningful and what is not. And do not rely on the interpretations of others!

This is exactly what leads to the misunderstanding of a general shortage of skilled workers. According to Bosbach, however, he is in a few less attractive ones Industries and regions definitely exist. Very few people want to be a sewage specialist.

What exactly are you looking for?

There would have to, suggested Professor before that Companys then specify exactly who or what they are looking for. And then just lure with very good conditions such as permanent contracts or targeted training measures - so far break the training company not exactly because of excessive demand together.

And also, for example, be open to secondary school students, who then have to be made fit for the job in appropriate further training measures, including individual support. As Bosbach knew from his own experience with further training measures, that was a great thing successfully.

Especially the small ones are affected

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And small companies that cannot support the technological change would have a reasonable chance at all Candidate a DAK Bungalow.

That was the crux of the matter, on which one could agree during the discussion: that above all smaller and very specialized companies are affected by the shortage of skilled workers - and moderator Antje Rabenalt also had a whole series of examples of committed entrepreneurs ready who, despite high personal Use no suitable Employees can afford - and they simply do that Money lack of hiring someone for HR work.

Why are engineers rejected?

But she also brought with her the counter-example of an engineer who had done all sorts of jobs for 15 years, just not his Job worked - and who had therefore received a wide variety of rejections over the course of time:

Overqualified, under-qualified, too old, too little professional experience. He could not be present himself: he had just finally found a job.

Companies are too spoiled

The real provocateur this evening was Dr. Karl Brenke from the DIW, who already published his study last year on the shortage of skilled workerslie caused a stir. And Brenke saw the dilemma of smaller companies mainly in the insufficient personnel work or in human weaknesses the snoring innkeeper – a statement made for fierce Criticism im Audience worried.

In addition, over the past 20 years, companies have simply been too spoiled by the job market, which has only allowed them to find people who are 150% a match. Perhaps, says Brenke, companies just have to get used to the fact that it only fits 90 or 80 percent and then they still do to qualify must.

Bosbach shortage of skilled workers

Personnel need to become more flexible!

HR would have to be more flexible. In general, rigid thinking is the problem in Germany: In other countries, companies react much more flexibly to a situation despite higher work levels. It is therefore no wonder that many skilled workers emigrated to Scandinavia or Switzerland.

In addition, there are already many foreign specialists in Germany, but their degrees are not recognized and therefore work in unskilled jobs. Here, too, companies should become more open-minded.

Temporary work instead of further education

Another problem for Brenke: This is also under highly qualified spreading temporary work. Companies that want to get cheap labor in this way therefore do not give any further training.

Malte Hansen of the Personnel Managers (BPM) had little to compare. From the point of view of his association, he has already noted a shortage in some regions and professions. But he really could not refute the presented arguments. The picture was differentiated.

The company's view

He dismissed the allegation that the companies were too comfortable: companies would never be used to finding 150% suitable employees - at most 110%. Hansen also spoke out against open-ended contracts: it had to be possible for the company to get to know its employees for two years.

And Hansen also spoke out against opening up companies to unqualified workers - it couldn't do that Objective be that Vocational Training to make even worse. He reiterated that companies were also looking for engineers. Nevertheless, no one from the Association of German Engineers wanted to take part in the discussion.

Money or time

After all, it was also for Hansen clearthat companies have to move. In the end, the companies were left with two ways: On the one hand, spending a lot of money in order to get exactly the right specialists. But that would also come Problems such as regionality and mobility. "The specific challenges depend on the company, location and person."

Or in the respective employees too invest, but pay less for it. A path that small companies probably take, because, according to Hansen, the big ones don't necessarily do the best human resources work.

Do you only hit the magic word

The all-encompassing question of whether the shortage of skilled workers is a fairy tale or not could only be answered with a hearty yes. After all, it is ultimately about a differentiated view of the respective industry, region, situation and location. When magic words and reality come together, that's what it's called message "Look carefully, it's all connected."


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