The German Association of Cities and Municipalities is sounding the alarm: “The staff shortage will have a huge impact on the work of the public sector and, above all, municipalities and may bring services in the public interest to the brink of collapse,” CEO Andre Berghegger told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
As he explained, today more than 100,000 positions are unfilled in municipalities because it is impossible to find appropriate staff. “He will almost retire in the next ten years 500 000 of the approximately 1.65 million workers employed in municipalities. This will result in a shortage of 230,000 workers by 2030.
Germany. The threat of a “creeping blackout”
Without quick and decisive countermeasures, serious consequences for citizens and Germany as a place of business can be expected. Berghegger spoke of a “creeping blackout”.
The effects will not only concern offices and processing times conclusions. – Over the next five years, for example, over 50,000 bus drivers will retire, and there is already a shortage of over 100,000 qualified workers in nurseries and kindergartens – pointed out Andre Berghegger.
Will artificial intelligence save the labor market?
Berghegger sees part of the solution in artificial intelligence and criticized Germany's reservations about digitalization. – If digitalization continues to be implemented in Germany at a snail's pace, we will consciously waste our chances for the future – he warned.
At the same time, he also advocated flexible working time models and the reorganization of tasks to maintain the attractiveness of work in the public sector.
(EPD/jar)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle