Bottleneck occupations in Saxony-Anhalt: Up to 39,700 positions unfilled!

Bottleneck occupations in Saxony-Anhalt: Up to 39,700 positions unfilled!

A lot has happened on the labor market in recent years, and a look at current developments in Saxony-Anhalt reveals clear bottlenecks in various professional groups. How dubisthalle.de reports, the number of bottleneck occupations for 2024 will fall to a total of 20, three fewer than in the previous year. However, the situation remains tense as companies in the region are struggling to fill vacancies despite a rise in unemployment.

Demographic change in particular plays a central role here. Many skilled workers from baby boomers are retiring, and forecasts point to a drastic increase in retirements over the next five years. This development is reinforced by the fact that only around five percent of the unemployed are demonstrably looking for employment in the particularly affected shortage occupations.

Affected professional groups

The occupations with the highest employment shortages can be found in the health and care sectors as well as in the manufacturing sector. But technical professions such as mechatronics, automation technology and energy technology are also affected. Gastronomy and food sales are also among the areas in demand. New to the list of shortage occupations are business organization and strategy and social educators, while some occupations such as woodworking and financial services have been removed from the shortage list but remain under observation.

As the Federal Employment Agency determines in its annual bottleneck analysis, an occupational category is considered a bottleneck occupation if it achieves a score of at least 2.0. Such analyzes are crucial to understand the challenges in the labor market and to react if necessary.

The future in sight

The monitoring of skilled workers Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs makes it possible to better assess future skilled worker needs. Various factors, such as digitalization or geopolitical developments, are taken into account. The expectations for the next few years are worrying: While many new job seekers, especially without professional qualifications, will enter the market, the number of available assistant positions remains very limited. The mismatch in the labor market between supply and demand threatens to worsen further.

The developments clearly show that it is high time to have a good hand in securing skilled workers. Companies can no longer rely on low unemployment if they want to find competent employees and meet the challenges of demographic change. Knowledge, qualifications and a targeted approach to potential employees are now more in demand than ever.