Bavarian companies beg for workers

September 1st is traditionally the first day to start apprenticeship in Germany. In the past, this was the time when politicians asked companies to offer more jobs so that all youth could start their job training. In Germany, adolescents get their job training in dual education within companies and professional schools, called Berufsschule.

However, the situation in Bavaria has changed dramatically. While youth unemployment within the EU is at about 25% (and in Greece and Spain at 50%), Bavarian companies are seeking apprentices due to a youth unemployment rate of only 4% in Bavaria. According to the Secretary General of Munich's chamber of commerce, Peter Drießen, "The shortage of applicants has reached a new dimension, and runs through all sectors." Many companies in Upper Bavaria could not fill all of their positions. At the end of July there were about 9,000 vacancies with only 5,000 seekers in the district of the chamber, not including craftsmen's jobs, which are organized in their own chamber.

Some companies have already started to employ young people from other EU countries, especially from Eastern and Southern Europe. Experts agree that the German system of dual job education seems to be more efficient than a focus on only academic education.