High rents in large cities in Germany are an obstacle for companies in competition for qualified employees. The survey conducted by the well -known international consulting company PwC shows that many people perceive Expensive apartments as the main disadvantage of life in metropolises.
It is so burdensome that one -third of them think about changing work because of high rents, and some actually move out of the cities for this reason. – In large German cities there is great frustration related to the situation on the housing market and the real estate market – says Bernd Roese, boss offices PwC in Frankfurt. A tense situation on the housing market threatens to deepen a deficiency of qualified workforce in metropolises.
Trouble finding a flat
For the purposes of the study in November and December last year, an online survey was conducted among 4,000. specialists in Germany aged 18 to 65 in 12 main cities in the country, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Essen, Leipzig and Hanover.
The survey showed that the vast majority of people assess life in a large city as pleasant due to the ease of shopping, numerous cultural and educational offers, the possibility of employment and short commuting. About 90 percent of working people feel comfortable in their place of residence.
On the other hand Two -thirds of them are dissatisfied with high rents, the prices of own apartments and houses, and the number of available apartments available for rent. Almost 90 percent of respondents believe that finding housing At an affordable price in large cities it is “only a matter of happiness”. This is a continuation of the trend from a similar study from 2023.
Young people ready to move
Some employees draw consequences from this. The study shows that about 10 percent of people have changed their jobs once due to high rents in their region (in 2023: 11 percent). In the age group from 18 to 34 years, 18 percent of people have already moved due to the high costs of renting an apartment.
– Even companies that currently have all vacancies can not rest on their laurels – says Thomas Veith, head of the department real estate in the German branch of the PwC. 35 percent of them have already thought about changing work due to high rents. As many as 43 percent of people are ready in the group of people aged 18 to 34.
When employees are considering moving related to the work performed, accessible rents are a decisive factor for 58 percent of them. The second important factor is the length of the road to work (44 percent). Three -quarters (76 percent) respondents would give up work if the rents in their future work were “much higher” than in the current location.
Expectations from politicians and employers
In efforts for affordable apartments, participants of the survey believe that both employers and the state have certain obligations towards them. 90 percent of respondents call politicians to concentrate in housing construction programs more on low and medium income households. Requirements for employers are also high: 81 percent of respondents are in favor of companies covering the costs of traveling to work, and 85 percent would like to obtain payments for rent in particularly expensive regions.
A similar number of respondents are in favor of providing them with business apartments and financing their equipment for work in the Home Office mode. For many respondents, such work is already part of a solution to their problems: 70 percent said that work in home office mode allows them to live in a more affordable area. – In order not to lose such employees, companies should get much more flexibility and not limit the possibility of work performed from home – says PwC expert Bernd Roese.
(Dpa/jak)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle.