• Shortages of skilled workers affect approximately one in eight skilled occupations
• Despite the recent hike in unemployment, skilled workers remain in short supply in many industries
• Number of bottleneck occupations falls from 183 to 163

Number of occupations affected by a shortage of skilled workers remains high

Although the number of occupations affected by a shortage of skilled workers fell in 2024, it remains at a high level. This can be seen in the annual skilled worker shortage analysis conducted by the Federal Employment Agency (BA). Shortages of skilled workers for filling job vacancies are affecting 163 of the approximately 1,200 occupations assessed. Although this figure is 20 fewer occupations than in the previous year, it is still almost as many as in 2018. Shortages of skilled workers therefore affect approximately one in eight skilled occupations.

“The fall in the number of bottleneck occupations isn’t surprising, given the persistently weak economic situation. Despite the rise in unemployment, however, skilled workers are still in considerable demand, and businesses are often unable to fill vacancies because the skilled workers aren’t available. The shortage of skilled workers remains a major challenge for Germany as a business location. To take action against this, we need to pull out all the stops – from targeted further education and training, to ensuring a better work/life balance, through to managed migration,” emphasizes Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency.

In 2024, the fields with the most severe shortages of skilled workers continued to be nursing and health care, while shortages also existed in the construction industry and the skilled trades. Drivers and early-years teachers are also in considerable demand.

181 more occupational fields are not currently classified as suffering from shortages, but are under observation as they could potentially become bottleneck occupations.

One in every two registered job vacancies is in a bottleneck occupation

On average, approximately 439,000 vacancies for skilled workers, specialists and experts in roles subject to social security contributions were registered in 2024. Almost half of these job vacancies were aimed at people with training in a bottleneck occupation. Of the skilled workers registered as unemployed, however, only a quarter were seeking a job in a bottleneck occupation.

The shortages analysis illustrates the two-tier labour market. Although approximately 2.7 million people in Germany were unemployed on average in 2024, businesses weren’t always able to find the skilled workers they wanted to hire.

Methodology and interactive analyses

Approximately 1,200 occupational fields are included in the skilled labour shortage analysis and assessed on the basis of six indicators. These include, for example, the time it takes to fill registered vacancies, the occupation-specific unemployment rate and salary development.

The latest analysis of skilled labour shortages, a full list of occupations and the indicators are available to download from our statistics portal (available in German).

The corresponding methodological report is available in the document Engpassanalyse – Methodische Weiterentwicklung (Bottleneck Analysis – Methodological Development) (available in German).