Shaping Change in a Sustainable and Socially Acceptable Manner: “It Is a Matter of Social Harmony”
Unemployment and a shortage of skilled workers — in order to counteract this imbalance on the German labor market, Continental is calling on lawmakers, companies, associations and social partners to join forces.
“Germany is facing a major challenge. Many employees are at risk of losing their jobs due to digitalization, technological disruptions and the pandemic. At the same time, a number of industries are heading toward a permanent shortage of skilled workers — with significant consequences for the economic growth in Germany,” said Dr. Ariane Reinhart.
In principle, Germany’s labor market will have a sufficient workforce in the coming years to close the gaps that arise due to the worsening shortage of skilled workers, according to Reinhart. But in order for this transformation process to succeed in the labor market, the necessary framework conditions must be created. It is evident across all industries that advanced training is the key to coping with the shortage of skilled workers and the threat of unemployment.
Lawmakers and companies must collaborate more closely than ever before to steer this process in a targeted manner.
A shortage of skilled workers leads to high costs in many industries. The German Federal Employment Agency currently anticipates the shortage of skilled workers will become more noticeable on the labor market once the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
According to the German Federal Employment Agency, there are around 18,000 vacancies in the IT sector.
A national advanced training plan must be created based on this foundation — starting with apprenticeship positions and universities through advanced training measures and retraining initiatives, internally in companies as well as through government agencies and training institutions operated by trade unions.
Continental is a pioneer in the advanced training of employees
Continental launched a comprehensive advanced training offensive in 2018 for the transformation of jobs. One of the building blocks is the Continental Institute for Technology and Transformation (CITT), the corporation’s own institute for advanced training founded in 2019.
“The laws are important and very helpful for promoting qualifications. We can and aim to use them to support our employees in the transformation and counteract the shortage of skilled workers,” explained Reinhart.
But that alone is not enough. The framework conditions must change in some occupations, such as nursing, so that people are motivated to retrain for new careers. Lawmakers must also design financial bridges for affected employees so that they can proactively embrace and help shape the transformation.
