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Too little passion for technology: The engineer shortage paralyses the German economic engine? Cologne/Dusseldorf, August 30, 2010 – a dramatic shortage of engineers analyzed the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft in Cologne. Nearly one-third of the scientific technical workers in German high-tech firms are engineers and scientists. However it could be even more according to IW investigations, because many vacancies are unfilled. In July of this year alone, 36,800 engineers were missing. A key reason is the increasing lack of offspring. 1,000 employed engineers were only 35 degrees of in engineering in the year 2007 in Germany, in the Czech Republic, there were 214, French neighbours of 73, in Belgium 111.

The special problem of this development: Just high technology, which includes industries such as machinery and vehicle construction as well as the chemical industry contributes significantly to the current upswing and is Germany’s economic motor. This, according to the Institute, is also in other European States the case, but have to fight the competition there much less with youth problems. Thus, the policy in this country well would do to mitigate the situation, for example, would more interesting designs in the schools of science and technology, but also making it easier would foreign engineers, to accept a job in Germany. Perhaps, this development again draws the eye that the interest of the pupils and students in science is expandable. Often encounter”just that educators should inspire young people to new technologies, the bio -, gene – and information technologies as well as the technically-based courses and occupations with less interest, commented the personnel expert Udo Nadolski, Managing Director of the consulting firm specializing in strategic leadership, technical recruitment and outsourcing services Harvey Nash in Dusseldorf. If the secondary performance courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry be always thinner occupied, one need not be surprised about the lack of engineers. Young inventor led a shadowy existence in Germany therefore sometimes, so Nadolski. The Association of electrical, electronic and information technologies (VDE) had already in the spring on the dramatic development in the engineering pointed out.

Almost 80 percent of 1,300 companies surveyed the industry confirmed at that time that the engineering workforce is increasingly older and move up to a few new recruits. In particular in the areas of planning, design, engineering, research and development as well as sales and marketing, staffing rule. In the study, 92 percent of respondents stated that graduates of the electrical and information technology despite the economic crisis have good career prospects. In the future, to meet the need for young scientists in the field of electrical engineering and information technology, thus almost every second respondent company wants to rely on graduates related subjects in particular on Scientists and computer scientists.