Shortage of skilled workers
Associations: The need for personnel in the railway industry remains high
Although Deutsche Bahn is cutting jobs on a large scale as part of a savings program, the need for personnel in the industry remains high. Women are particularly missing.
Despite thousands of jobs being lost at Deutsche Bahn, the rail industry as a whole is still desperately looking for staff. “The rail industry is a growth industry,” said the managing director of the Allianz pro Schiene interest group, Dirk Flege. “Data from sub-segments shows that we have growth in full-time equivalents of 3.5 percent every year.”
The recent announcement by the rail freight transport subsidiary DB Cargo that around 5,000 jobs are to be cut there in the next few years does not change this. “We assume that the current restructuring plans at Cargo will not have a significant impact on personnel development across the entire industry,” emphasized Flege.
More visibility for small and medium-sized businesses
The general manager of the Association of the Railway Industry in Germany (VDB), Sarah Stark, particularly referred to the many small and medium-sized companies in the railway supply industry. What is needed is more visibility for their locations and for career opportunities in these companies. The association therefore wants to contribute to further expanding the career portal Glanzjobs.de with the industry.
Those involved see great potential, especially in recruiting women. Only 20 percent of employees in the rail sector are women. “Without more women we cannot meet the staffing needs,” said Flege. “This also applies to skilled workers from abroad.”
While the rail industry continues to grow, the auto industry is cutting tens of thousands of jobs. The associations demanded that there should be easy options for changing. “We are also in discussions with the unions about this,” emphasized Flege.
dpa
Source: Stern
