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Cost factor human in a different way Labor shortage costs German mechanical engineering a lot of sales

Source: VDMA | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Currently, only two out of three companies in mechanical and plant engineering are able to fill the majority of their open positions for skilled workers. This has consequences, says the VDMA...

The labour shortage is costing many German machinery manufacturers sales. Hartmut Rauen, Deputy Managing Director of the VDMA, says: "Our industry has well-paid, attractive jobs, but Germany's wealth machine simply needs more workers."(Image: VDMA)
The labour shortage is costing many German machinery manufacturers sales. Hartmut Rauen, Deputy Managing Director of the VDMA, says: "Our industry has well-paid, attractive jobs, but Germany's wealth machine simply needs more workers."
(Image: VDMA)

According to a survey by VDMA, one third of companies are logically having great difficulties recruiting employees. This was determined by a survey with over 300 participants. The situation is similar for apprentices. Here too, every third company reports that it can only fill at most half of the training positions on offer. Many even report being able to find almost no apprentices or none at all. Small companies with fewer than 100 employees are most affected, while large companies have less difficulty. The effects of the labor shortage are now also being reflected in the companies' sales trend. Almost half of those surveyed recorded losses in sales due to the shortage of workers, with 27 percent recording losses of up to 5 percent and a further 20 percent even higher losses. Hartmut Rauen, deputy director of the VDMA, comments: "Our industry offers well-paid, attractive working environments, but Germany's machine of prosperity simply needs more workers. Our country should not risk losing its strength in MINT-based industries."

Technical progress alone is unlikely to be sufficient

What Germany needs, he said, is a comprehensive realization of all potentials. This includes, for example, keeping older employees in the company longer, attracting new skilled workers from abroad, and specifically inspiring young people for technical professions and courses of study. The VDMA also wants to support this with the recently launched youth campaign. To address the shortage of skilled workers, 72 percent of VDMA member companies are focusing on intensified training and further education programs for their employees. The majority of smaller companies now also want to continue employing their staff after they have reached retirement age. Especially large companies are increasingly exploring their possibilities for using automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to meet the shortage of skilled workers. The greatest potential for automation and the use of robotics is seen in the company areas of production and warehousing. For AI, on the other hand, in the areas of IT, marketing, and public relations. However, only two percent of respondents expect that technological progress will lead to an oversupply of labor. About half expect that technical progress will not be sufficient in the medium term to get the labor shortage under control. Particularly sought after are skilled workers and also academics for production, research and development, as well as construction and IT.

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