Almost one in four German companies face shortage of skilled workers

Almost one in four German companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers, a top economic institute said on Friday. 

The survey by the Munich-based ifo institute found 23.2% of firms in Germany reporting a lack of skilled staff in July, up from 21.1% in April.

The figure remains well below the long-term average of 31.7%.

"The weak economy is currently keeping the demand for skilled workers within limits," said ifo researcher Daria Schaller. "However, as the economy makes a stronger recovery, the shortage of skilled workers is likely to increase considerably again."

Demand rose particularly sharply in the telecommunications sector: 31.1% of companies in this sector were short of skilled workers, up from 16.3% in April.

In the consultancy and auditing sectors, the proportion rose from 52.4% to 64.7%. By contrast, the figure for the manufacturing sector was 18.7%, a rise of 4.5 percentage points since April.

"More unemployed people does not automatically mean more available skilled workers," said Schaller. "What matters is whether the qualifications match the requirements of the vacancies."