The acute shortage of IT specialists in the German economy will increase significantly in the coming years if countermeasures are not taken. According to a long-term study by the digital association Bitkom, there will be a shortage of around 663,000 IT specialists by 2040 if politicians do not take decisive countermeasures. The association assumes that 149,000 vacancies in the IT sector cannot currently be filled.
The large gap will mainly arise in the coming years due to the increasing need for programmers, system administrators and other IT specialists. A total of 1.92 million vacancies will have to be filled here by 2040. However, this demand is only matched by a supply of 1.26 million skilled workers.
Bitkom president Ralf Wintergerst said that in addition to these numbers, there are thousands of vacancies with an IT focus at administrations, schools or scientific institutions. “The shortage of IT specialists, which has been increasing for years, affects the entire country and delays the urgently needed digitalization.” A widening skills gap in IT means a loss of competitiveness, added value, growth and prosperity. “Without IT specialists, Germany is wasting its digital future,” says Wintergerst.
The trade association explained that the gap can largely be closed with a series of countermeasures. By 2040, around 108,000 additional skilled workers could enter the market if we succeed in attracting more students and trainees, getting girls and women interested in IT, and reducing the attrition rate in IT. To achieve this goal, for example, the compulsory subject of computer science should be introduced in all states from secondary level 1 and more chairs for computer science, digitalization and artificial intelligence should be established.
Older workers have to stay longer
Another countermeasure is to keep older workers above retirement age. This means that 68,500 additional skilled workers could be activated by 2040. An additional 129,500 skilled workers could be recruited if interested people from other professions were given the opportunity to work in IT. But all measures in Germany were not enough, according to Wintergerst. However, more than 320,000 skilled workers could be recruited from abroad. “We cannot close the gap alone.”
To expand necessary immigration, the impact of the Skilled Immigration Act must be strengthened through action. To achieve this, immigration procedures should be digitized in a uniform manner. Bitkom also called for immigration authorities to be restructured into ‘welcome agencies’ and international marketing for Germany as an IT location. “These people are courted worldwide. To be attractive to them, Germany must remain an open, tolerant and free society,” Wintergerst said.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
