As the possibility of recession in Germany hovers over the economy, 25 percent of German businesses surveyed in a recent Ifo Institute survey say they’re planning on cutting jobs. That’s up quite a bit from April, when that number stood at 14 percent.

Yet the Institute for Labour Market and Occupational Research (IAB) says the third quarter also saw a record number of job vacancies in Germany – around 1.93 million. With around 2.4 million people unemployed in Germany at the moment, that means that there are about twelve job seekers for every ten jobs.

In 2005, at a time of less economic turbulence, there were about 100 job seekers for every ten jobs.

Furthermore, the IAB says recruitment is happening just about everywhere, suggesting that a sizeable portion of the German economy still needs staff – even with challenging economic conditions like rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, the Stepstone job recruiting platform says it has about 50 percent more listings than even in the period before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Growth is particularly high in the construction field, where job listings are up 77 percent, skilled trades where job listings are up 105 percent, and in education, which saw a 130 percent increase in listings. Also in higher demand are logistics specialists, hospitality, mechanical engineering and doctors.

Furthermore, researchers say more companies are hiring people with sustainability expertise across all industries, including everyone from heat pump installers to auditors specialising in sustainability.

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