In Berlin and Upper Bavaria, over Half of the 30 to 34-Year-Olds are Highly Qualified: An Analysis of the Qualification Structures in the German Regions

Looking only at the 30 to 34-year-olds, the range is between 51.3 percent in Berlin and 50.8 percent in Upper Bavaria on the one hand and 21.1 percent in Brandenburg and 21.9 percent in Saxony-Anhalt on the other hand even higher. The proportions of low-skilled workers among 25 to 64-year-olds in Bremen at 19.7 percent and the administrative districts of Düsseldorf at 18.4 percent and Arnsberg at 18.3 percent, each of which covers large parts of the Ruhr area, are also around four times higher than in Thuringia and the Dresden region at 4.8 percent each. Since the level of education of the population is of great importance for the growth potential of the economy and influences local social structures, the development prospects for the regions are very different. This can hardly be changed in the foreseeable future, since improvements in the education system only have an effect on the qualification structures in the regions with a long time lag and, interregional migration movements, which are also relevant for these regions, can only be changed more fundamentally in the long term by the establishment of universities and scientific institutions and similar measures. It should therefore be examined at which points qualification structures give rise to different needs and opportunities for action by the municipalities and other regional players, and where necessary, follow-up action should be taken.