At the start of the second quarter, skills shortages were hampering operations at 27% of businesses. Skilled labour shortages have thus eased further as a result of the weak economic performance. The drop is most significant in industry, which has recorded the steepest declines in sales. Here, 18% of businesses reported negative impacts due to skills shortages. In the services sector, 33% of companies are complaining about a lack of workers, also slightly less than in the previous quarter.

KfW-ifo Skilled Labour Barometer June 2025(PDF, 402 KB, accessible)

Press release