The labor market situation of recent years shows: High employment and low unemployment are possible with the right policies and in a flourishing economy.
Labor and Income

About the topic
The German labor market has been in a state of flux in recent years: Due to structural change and digitization, jobs have been lost in some sectors, for example in mining or industry, but at the same time many new jobs have been created in the digital world of work. However, despite recent successes, millions of people are still looking for a job, although skilled workers are becoming scarce as a result of demographic change. Going forward, therefore, the goal remains to increase labor force participation, promote occupational mobility, make it easier for people to get into jobs, and keep the shortage of skilled workers at bay for the economy.
Meanwhile, the demands on employees are changing rapidly. Digitalization and internationalization are shaping the world of work. Aging and heterogeneous workforces pose difficult tasks for HR policy. Companies are well equipped if they succeed in balancing the different requirements.
Employees' earnings, i.e. wages and salaries, can be freely negotiated with their employers - in some cases, the leeway is limited by collective agreements. Wage policy also determines how many skilled workers employers can retain. Overall, wages have risen steadily over the past few years, which has led to an increase in prosperity.
German Economic Institute (IW)

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Our Experts

Dr. Christina Anger
Head of the Research Group Microdata and Method Development
Tel: +49 221 4981-718 Mail: anger@iwkoeln.de
Helena Bach
Economist for Wage Policy and Collective Bargaining
Tel: +49 221 4981-665 Mail: bach@iwkoeln.de
Alexander Burstedde
Economist for Supply of skill needs
Tel: +49 221 4981-217 Mail: burstedde@iwkoeln.de @ABursteddeAll news

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