According to a study, one in eight German companies is planning to hire more staff – although production expectations are either remaining the same or falling. This was reported by the newspaper “Rheinische Post” on Monday from an as yet unpublished study by the employer-friendly German Economic Institute (IW).
The institute evaluated responses from almost 2,000 German companies in its economic survey in the spring. According to the results, securing skilled workers plays a greater role in the personnel planning of these companies than adapting to business expectations.
In previous years, it was more common to adjust employment to the economic situation, the paper quotes from the IW study. 84 percent of companies with stagnating production but rising employment expectations cited securing skilled workers as a reason. 90 percent of them agreed on the importance of filling positions after retirements.
“Companies know that the retirement of baby boomers can exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers,” it continued. To ensure a stable volume of work, reforms are needed to extend working lives, increase the employment volume of second earners and increase skilled immigration.