It is very easy for engineers in Germany to find work. In the first quarter of 2024, for a total of 44,500 representatives of this profession looking for work, there were 150,000 vacancies, ARD informs.
At the same time, engineering majors in higher education institutions are losing their appeal - if ten years ago mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or civil engineering were followed by 350,000 people, in the last winter semester there were 280,000. Growth is noticeable only in informatics - from 180,000 before today this specialty is studied by 260,000 people. And the starting salary, as a rule, is 65,000 euros per year.
In which fields are there the most vacancies?
Compared to engineers in the chemical industry and production, classic engineering specialties are the most favored - for every unemployed electrical engineer there are 5.6 vacancies, for civil engineers - 4.3, and for mechanical engineers - 3. 7. Computer scientists have to settle for three free positions each.
ARD points out that they need engineers in a variety of fields - for example, in the field of digitalization, decarbonization and the energy revolution. The media emphasizes that the increased demand for electrical engineers is due to the restructuring of the energy system.
In the highly industrialized German province of Bavaria, the shortage of engineers is the greatest - there are 5.3 vacancies per candidate, ARD informs. Saxony is next with 4.3 vacancies. In the East German provinces, the shortage of engineers is mainly due to demographic development, while in Bavaria, the large increase in employment plays a role, experts explained to ARD. However, it follows that while Bavaria is experiencing growth, there is a lack of qualified young people in East Germany to cover the basic needs.
How many foreigners are there in the industry?
Research also shows that East Germany is not attractive to foreign professionals. They show interest only in the area around Berlin - there they represent 8% of the total number, but they are still less than the indicators for Munich and Frankfurt. In the other East German states, the percentage of foreign engineers ranges between 4.4% and 6.6%.
From the data available to ARD, it is clear that 11 percent of engineers in Germany are foreigners. The largest part are from India - 13,000, Turkey - 8,500 and China - 6,500. From Europe, the largest number are Italians - 7,000, followed by French and Spanish - 5,000 each.
Author: Ingo Natusius (ARD)