New findings published on skills shortages in rural areas

Joint analyses by Jan Cornelius Peters with Tanja Buch, Michaela Fuchs, Janina Helm, Annekatrin Niebuhr and Georg Sieglen (all Institute for Employment Research) provide new evidence that companies' recruitment problems in Germany have increased significantly over the last decade.

In their recently published article “Increasing shortages of skilled workers - Why are rural areas particularly affected?", they also show that the shortage of skilled workers is more pronounced in rural areas than in metropolitan areas and that the difference between rural and urban regions has widened slightly. The intensity of a regional skills shortage and the greater impact on rural areas is linked to regional labour market conditions, regional occupational specialization and the proportion of small businesses. However, the most important factor is advanced demographic change. Of all the factors considered, the proportion of older employees correlates most strongly with the regional proportion of vacancies.

In the conclusion, the authors discuss measures that could be used to counteract the increased recruitment problems in rural areas and beyond. They provide starting points for companies, associations and political decision-makers at different regional levels.

The full article can be found at https://www.wirtschaftsdienst.eu/pdf-download/jahr/2024/heft/5/beitrag/zunehmende-fachkraefteengpaesse-warum-sind-laendliche-raeume-besonders-betroffen.html

Contact: Dr. Jan Cornelius Peters