Some 560,000 jobs need to be filled in Berlin by the year 2035, according to the latest estimates by the Berlin Senate.
In a city with a total workforce of approximately 2.19 million, this means that the German capital is facing a looming labour shortage equivalent to about a quarter of its current total workforce.
These figures come from the Berlin Senate's "Skilled Labour Strategy 2035," which was announced this week by Labour Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD).
The looming gap in the workforce is due primarily to the large number of employees set to retire in the next nine years as more and more of the 'boomer' generation ages out of employment.
Jobs in demand
The senate's "Skilled Labour Strategy 2035" aims to coordinate efforts to bring skilled workers into employment in Berlin in the coming years.
It also contains estimated figures for how many roles will need to be filled in certain sectors. The sectors expected to see the highest demand growth for workers are information and communications, health care and education and training.
Specifically:
- more than 50,000 jobs should be filled in IT and information service provider roles
- 34,000 in the fields of residential care and social services
- 27,000 in the fields of education and teaching
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Jobs to be cut
At the same time, the number of jobs in some other sectors are expected to shrink, particularly in manufacturing and public administration.
In public administration and social security, an estimated 28,600 jobs are expected to be phased out during this time.
Around 27,500 retail jobs are also expected to be lost, along with about 12,700 construction jobs.
In terms of overall net change, the forecast predicts the creation of up to 99,000 new jobs while 87,000 are eliminated.
How to fill the gap
Senator Kiziltepe, who has led the initiative to develop Berlin's skilled labour strategy, suggests that meeting the city's massive demand for skilled workers will require increasing the employment rate of women and people with immigration or refugee backgrounds.
Announcing the strategy on Tuesday, she said, "Berlin is already an attractive place to work...We want to make better use of existing potential, provide targeted qualifications for people, make it easier for them to enter work and open up good prospects for young people."
In comments made to German media outlets she praised efforts that had been made to triple the number of foreign professional qualifications that are recognised since 2015. That Germany does not recognise a wide range of foreign qualifications is among the biggest challenges cited by many skilled workers who seek employment here.
Another major hurdle, particularly in Berlin, is the severe housing shortage. Even incoming workers with high salaries face a tremendous challenge in finding housing in the city, which makes it difficult to recruit workers from abroad or even elsewhere in Germany.
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Of course being aware of major challenges like the city's housing shortage, and actually being able to do something about them are two different things.
Green party spokesperson for training and skills, Tonka Wojahn, called the strategy a "hodgepodge of platitudes," suggesting that it lacks the concrete solutions that will be needed to address the problem.
In an initial practical step, the labour administration announced a plan to provide 150 apartments to trainees (Azubis) in the coming summer, and to push forward with plans to build more housing for trainees.
Also, according to a statement released by the Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Housing Companies (BBU), the welcome centre on Potsdamer StraĂźe is set to be expanded into a "modern, international and multilingual digital advice centre".
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