A study conducted by the German Economic Institute (IW) revealed that the most significant shortage of skilled labor in the country occurs in the healthcare sector. According to the research by the Cologne-based organization, which is close to employers, an average of approximately 46,000 positions needing to be filled by skilled workers in the healthcare system remained vacant last year.
IW, which had previously conducted similar studies, announced the data on labor shortages by sector for the first time. Accordingly, in the top ten sectors experiencing the greatest skilled labor shortages, over 260,000 positions could not be filled last year.
Long Appointment Waiting Times
One of the most notable findings in the healthcare sector is related to physiotherapy. There is an urgent need for about 12,000 physiotherapists nationwide. Additionally, over 7,000 care staff and approximately 6,800 dental assistants are lacking across the country.
Evaluating the results, IW expert Valeria Quispe stated that “the bottleneck in the health system causes long waiting times for appointments.”
41,000 Vacancies in the Construction Sector
After healthcare, the construction sector is the one most affected by the skilled labor shortage, according to the study. There is also an approximately 41,300-person gap in this field.
Social services are also significantly impacted by the lack of skilled workforce. Due to the lack of suitable applicants for the required positions, last year there were about 26,400 unfilled openings in this area, with about 16,400 of those in nursing homes.
In IW’s assessment of the study, it was noted that the shortage of skilled labor endangers the continuity of basic care services. Quispe emphasized that in order to eliminate this threat, targeted recruitment of specialized workers is essential. She also underlined the importance of persuading non-professionally trained workers to pursue education, offering stronger incentives for longer career spans, and supporting the migration of skilled workers to address the shortage.
epd / ET,MUK
