The 900,000 mark has been exceeded. But the shortage of skilled workers poses growing challenges for companies.
The number of employees in the German electrical and digital industry is higher than it has been since 1995. The industry association ZVEI had 908,000 employees at the end of last year, 10,000 more than a year earlier, as the association of the electrical and digital industries announced. Since 2005, the industry has continuously created new jobs until the end of 2023, apart from economic fluctuations.
According to headcount, the electrical and digital industry remains the second largest manufacturing sector in Germany, explained ZVEI chief economist Andreas Gontermann. However, the availability of qualified personnel is a challenge. The shortage of skilled workers is currently an obstacle to production for almost a third (29 percent) of electrical companies in this country. “However, the problem is likely to become even greater in the course of demographic developments over the next ten years,” predicted Gontermann.
According to ZVEI, more than a quarter of the employees (26 percent) in the industry are older than 55 years. “If these people retire in the next ten years, more than 230,000 employees would have to be gradually replaced,” calculated the ZVEI.
Source: Stern
