The loan institution for reconstruction (KfW) asked for 9,000 companies for the skilled worker. Among them are 7,500 medium -sized companies. The shortage of skilled workers has weakened significantly, but is still at a historically high level. At the beginning of the second quarter of 2025, 27.2% of the companies surveyed complained about restrictions due to the lack of staff. In the fourth quarter of 2024 it was just under 32.0%, in the summer of 2022 even 49.7%.
The reason for the decline is the weak economy in Germany. This has led to paragraphs and order declines, as well as layoffs or stops of attitude, especially in industry. In addition, the great uncertainty about the Course of the US government is also burdening the companies. “The shortage of skilled workers is still a growth brake for a considerable part of the companies. The fact that fewer companies currently find the problem as serious is only a snapshot,” says Dr. Dirk Schumacher, chief economist of the KfW. “The shortage of skilled workers will worsen in the coming years, provided that the economic situation improves as expected. Countermeasures by increasing employment participation, qualified immigration and productivity increases are urgently required.”
