According to the survey, 43.6 per cent of companies said in January that they were affected by a shortage of skilled workers, down from 45.7 per cent in October 2022. "Companies' concerns about finding suitable skilled workers remain high," says Ifo expert Stefan Sauer. In July 2022, the all-time high of 49.7 per cent had been reached.
Many service providers continue to be the most affected. In legal and tax consulting as well as auditing, it was 75.2 percent. Slightly more than half of the companies in warehousing, transport and architectural and engineering firms complained of a shortage of skilled workers. In these sectors, the shortage has even increased further.
In manufacturing, fewer firms are affected by a lack of skilled workers. 16.4 per cent of firms in the chemical industry reported a shortage, down from 19.6 in October. In metal production and processing, the figure was 23.6 per cent, down from 45.2. Manufacturers of data processing equipment, on the other hand, were more constrained than ever, at 59.5 per cent.
