Retirements: AK Warns of Skilled Worker Shortage in System-Relevant Professions

Particularly in the fields of technology, crafts, kindergartens, or care, more people are currently retiring than are entering the workforce. The consequences: increased workload, overburdening, and from an economic perspective, also lower growth. However, the gaps can be well closed with retraining, as shown by a Wifo study.

According to the study, if politics does not take action, by 2029, around 51,000 more people with vocational qualifications will retire than those entering the labor market with such qualifications. An additional result would be an annual economic growth rate that is about 0.1 percentage points lower.

In this scenario, companies might often not be able to fill open positions, costs would incur for searching for suitable skilled workers, and investments would have to be postponed. And, particularly serious from the Chamber of Labor's perspective: in critical sectors such as health, security, and basic services, services would have to be restricted.

Qualification Closes Skills Gap and Increases Growth

However, if investment is made in qualification, this would not only narrow the gap in skilled workers, but economic growth would also increase, according to the study's results, which were presented by the Chamber of Labor on Wednesday. The chamber expects a 0.1 percentage point higher GDP in 2029 than under the assumption that politics remains inactive. The prerequisite is that 40,000 people are highly qualified to a vocational qualification level. Additionally, these higher qualified individuals are more likely to find a job and therefore would need to receive fewer social benefits.

Skills Shortage: AK's Demands

In view of the Wifo study results, the chamber advocates for a "timely implementation" of the skills strategy by the government, which must include "equal importance of qualification and placement" in the employment service (AMS) as well as a "right to qualification" following appropriate consultation. Furthermore, the Chamber of Labor calls for strengthening apprenticeships, for example, by expanding inter-company training facilities.

(APA/Red)

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