Apprentices wanted: There is a lack of young talent in the economy

At least 30 days of vacation, double the statutory pay, plus Christmas and vacation bonuses, a personal tablet, flexible working hours, and sports club subsidies—the list of perks companies offer to attract trainees is long. Hardly any company looking for good young talent can afford not to offer so-called benefits these days.

Whether it's a craftsperson, salesperson, industrial mechanic, educator, cook, or administrative specialist – for professions that don't require a university degree , the new training year traditionally begins for hundreds of thousands of young people in August and September. Germany is known worldwide for its dual training system. Depending on the profession, it lasts two or three years.

During this time, the apprentices, as they are also called, work in the company but also attend a vocational school, where they are taught the necessary theoretical knowledge. They receive at least €682 per month for this in the first year of their apprenticeship. Those who successfully complete their training have good prospects of finding a regular job.

Vacancies despite the economic crisis

While two decades ago there were significantly more applicants than available apprenticeships, the ratio has reversed in recent years. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were approximately 432,000 applicants for dual training in 2024. This compares to 519,000 reported apprenticeships.

Among the applicants, there are a growing number of trainees with foreign nationality, while the number of German applicants is declining. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of foreign trainees nearly doubled to around 70,000. Young people with Vietnamese, Syrian, and Ukrainian nationality were particularly likely to sign new training contracts last year.

Final figures for the 2025 training market are not yet available because the start of training programs is still delayed until the fall. However, compared to 2024, 26 percent of training companies have reduced the number of their positions due to the economic crisis . Nevertheless, it is already foreseeable that many vacancies will again remain unfilled.

Fewer offspring, more problems

The portal of the Chambers of Industry and Commerce alone, regional umbrella organizations for the economy, currently offers 170,000 apprenticeships. This includes listings for the 2026 training year. Those who want to be successful start recruiting young talent early.

Demographics, i.e., the declining birth rate, aren't the only problem. School leavers, companies complain, are increasingly poorly prepared for vocational training. "A lack of basic skills among young people is increasingly jeopardizing successful training," warns Jörg Dittrich, President of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH).

German and math become a hurdle

Craft businesses aren't the only ones facing this problem. In a recent survey by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), 44 percent of the companies surveyed complained about deficits in their ability to express themselves in German, and almost as many reported a lack of basic math skills.

"There's a lack of basic knowledge and skills necessary for practically every apprenticeship: reliability, willingness to learn, commitment, and literacy," said Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), summing up the problems at the survey presentation in Berlin. "Those who don't have these skills will have a difficult time in their careers overall."

Young people are less resilient

To remedy this, companies offer tutoring in German and mathematics. According to the survey, companies also value good work and social skills, as well as basic mental performance. This refers to the ability to absorb and process information.

But this is also clearly lacking. In the DIHK survey, almost half of the companies lack this basic mental capacity (46 percent). There are also deficits in the work and social behavior of school graduates, especially with regard to resilience (56 percent).

The aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic, the "digitalization of life," and the resulting isolation are also noticeable. "Many young people are unaccustomed to a peer-to-peer environment and the hierarchical system that characterizes a company," Dercks says.

Three million without a degree

As a result, more and more young people are left without apprenticeships, and this has consequences. "While the economy is increasingly complaining about a shortage of skilled workers, at the same time, almost three million young people in our country lack vocational qualifications," complained Elke Hannack, deputy chair of the German Trade Union Confederation , at the presentation of the DGB's annual "Training Report."

Those without vocational qualifications are significantly more likely to face a working life characterized by low wages and precarious employment conditions , warns Hannack. According to the Federal Education Report, the proportion of migrants among people between 20 and 35 years of age without vocational qualifications is above average. Moreover, there are significantly more men than women. "We need more employers who give all young people a chance at an apprenticeship," Hannack demands.

High dropout rate among trainees

But instead, companies prefer to leave positions vacant if they can't find applicants they consider suitable. Or they simply reduce their training offerings. Only 18.8 percent of companies in Germany still offer training—a new low.

The number of apprentices dropping out of their training early has also increased. According to the DGB training report, the rate is 30 percent, the highest it has been in 30 years.

As a result, this further exacerbates the skilled labor shortage in Germany. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) calls the situation alarming and calls for training conditions to be made more attractive. The most important things are more money and housing. In fact, trainees can rarely afford their own apartment on their salary. "In university cities, student dormitories are part of the cityscape, but housing for trainees is hard to come by. This must change!" demands Kristof Becker, DGB Federal Youth Secretary.

Good pay increases satisfaction

The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) surveyed around 9,000 apprentices for its report. The results showed that satisfaction varies by training occupation: While over 80 percent of prospective tax clerks, industrial electronics technicians, mechatronics engineers, bank clerks, and administrative assistants are very satisfied, this applies to only about 60 percent of hotel management and hairdressers. These occupations continue to be poorly paid, with high work pressure and frequent overtime.

Especially in skilled trades that still require heavy physical labor, or in occupations with unattractive working hours, there are hardly any applicants for apprenticeships anymore. This is causing some self-employed tradespeople to rethink their approach.

In Freiburg , southern Germany A baker has restructured his business and no longer bakes his bread at night, but only from 7 a.m. onward. The shop opens at 11 a.m. He no longer has trouble finding apprentices.