SME sector plagued by personnel issues - but more optimistic than in 2010

Frankfurt am Main (ots) -

- Close to 60% of SMEs expect recruiting problems - but this
figure is less than in 2010
- Differences in industries: construction and manufacturing
industry faced with more difficulties than service providers
- Demographic change is already casting shadows: lack of qualified
applicants is the main problem

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany are more
optimistic with regard to filling employment vacancies than they were
in 2010. According to a new study carried out by KfW Research on the
basis of the representative 2014 KfW SME Panel, 57% of the SMEs with
recruitment plans expect difficulties in finding qualified staff. The
share of recruiting companies expecting to encounter problems such as
quality cutbacks, delays or lasting vacancies was much higher in 2010
at 75%. The more optimistic stance is remarkable, especially since
more companies are looking for staff today than five years ago (60%
vs. 35% of SMEs). Also, in light of the extremely low unemployment
rate at present, it would have been more likely to expect their
problems only to be aggravated.

"The optimism concerning the recruitment of qualified personnel
came as a surprise," says Dr Jörg Zeuner, Chief Economist at KfW.
"Apparently, the higher proportion of women and older people in the
working population, increasing labour mobility as well as the
immigration of a large number of well-qualified specialists from EU
countries mean that SME executives have started to worry less about
personnel issues - albeit probably only temporarily. Demographic
change is already casting shadows. Even today, a lack of qualified
applicants to fill open positions is the main concern across all
industries. This is an indication of increasing skilled labour
shortages in the future."

According to the KfW analysis, a total of 57% of hiring companies
are encountering recruiting issues due to a lack of suitable
applicants to fit the job description. Complaints about skills
shortages are most frequent in the construction and manufacturing
industry and slightly less frequent in the services sector. In the
order of frequency of being mentioned, additional recruiting problems
result from: applicants' excessive salary expectations (44%), a lack
of additional qualifications (37%), unattractive working conditions
(23%), a negative image of the industry (16%) and an unattractive
company location (13%).

"When the post-war baby boomers start to retire from around 2025,
this will lead to major recruiting problems and skilled labour
shortages, but difficulties will be tangible even in the medium
term," Dr Zeuner projects. The competitiveness of the German economy
will suffer if companies encounter more delays or find it
increasingly impossible to find suitable hires to fill their
vacancies.

Businesses will therefore have to step up their efforts to
mitigate the effects of the demographic trend, and political
decisions-makers will have to support them in these efforts. "The
most important objectives are to further increase the proportion of
women and older people in the working population, to sustainably
integrate qualified immigrants and to enhance productivity through
improved education, further training and continuous innovation."

The complete study, including detailed information by sector (in
German only), is available at: www.kfw.de/fokus.

Pressekontakt:
KfW, Palmengartenstr. 5 - 9, 60325 Frankfurt
Kommunikation (KOM), Wolfram Schweickhardt,
Tel. +49 (0)69 7431 1778, Fax: +49 (0)69 7431 3266,
E-Mail: presse@kfw.de, Internet: www.kfw.de