Training market: “Ghosting” becomes a problem for providers of apprenticeships

“Ghosting” for trainees – i.e. not standing out of an agreed or prospective training position – becomes a problem for more companies. In 2023, every fourth-person operation has already reported that suitable applicants simply jump off, the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research (IAB) in Nuremberg said. However, the biggest problem in filling apprenticeships is that there are not sufficiently suitable applicants available. 51 percent of the companies could not have filled all training positions in 2023.

“The problem that has already arisen from the lack of applications is further exacerbated and is likely to significantly restrict the operational options for the occupation of training positions,” said IAB researcher Ute Leber on the subject of “ghosting”.

Large companies with 500 or more employees would particularly often call offs from applicants as one of the reasons for the non -occupation of training positions. But 28 percent of small businesses with fewer than ten employees also have to do with the phenomenon. In 2013 it was still 19 percent.

“The phenomenon of ghosting can be associated with high operational costs, since investments that have already been lost in the recruitment process have been lost,” said IAB researcher Barbara Schwengler. The analysis is based on data from the IAB operating panel, a regular, representative operating survey.