According to a survey, the vast majority of companies in Germany are struggling with the issue of a shortage of skilled workers. In a survey by the Munich Ifo Institute on behalf of the Foundation for Family Businesses, 87 percent of the 1,700 companies surveyed said they felt the effects of the problem.

More than a third of those surveyed see this as a threat to competitiveness. More than half fear the increasing risk of breaking value chains. 82 percent of the companies described the effort involved in filling vacancies as high or very high.

"Threat to Germany as a Business Location"

"The lack of qualified employees and, in the meantime, of employees at all is the third threat to Germany as a business location, alongside scarcity of raw materials and energy," said Rainer Kirchdörfer, director of the Foundation for Family Businesses. The companies reacted above all by making efforts to train their staff and with better pay and more flexible working hours.

The companies would like to see a package of measures from politicians that should particularly include the promotion of apprenticeships, for example through better vocational training in schools (88 percent agreement). The immigration of skilled workers should be made easier and their qualifications should be recognized more easily (74 percent agreement). In addition, many of the 1,300 family businesses that took part in the survey would like older people to be able to work longer and non-working women to be given incentives to take up paid employment.