According to the Tagesspiegel, citing KfW bank, the shortage of skilled workers in Germany has fallen significantly since its peak nearly four years ago. In the second quarter of 2026, only 21 percent of companies reported being affected by a lack of skilled workers. In the third quarter of 2022, that share was still 49.7 percent.
The easing, however, is not due to a larger supply of qualified workers but to the persistent economic weakness. Companies, especially in industry, are hiring fewer people because of falling demand, high energy costs, and international competitive pressure. In the industrial sector, only 14 percent of firms recently reported a labor shortage.
KfW chief economist Dirk Schumacher said the decline is mainly due to the weak economy. Once the economy recovers, the problem is likely to return. Sectors with stable demand remain particularly affected, such as the main construction industry, where nearly a third of companies report bottlenecks. In the services sector, the share is 25 percent, especially in legal and tax consulting, transport, gastronomy, and architecture and engineering firms.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) suffer disproportionately: in April 2026, 22 percent of mid-sized companies reported constraints, compared to 19.3 percent of large companies. In manufacturing, 18.3 percent of SMEs complained about a skilled labor shortage, but only eight percent of large firms. Schumacher urged not to let up on countermeasures and named training, lifelong learning, higher labor force participation of women and older people, and targeted skilled immigration as levers.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
