Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The Association of German Engineers (VDI) has complained about a record number of vacancies in North Rhine-Westphalia and warned of a worsening of the situation. In NRW, 24,810 positions were vacant in the first quarter, the VDI announced on Tuesday. This puts NRW in second place among the federal states in Germany after Bavaria with around 39,000 vacancies. Nationwide, more than 151,000 positions have not been filled.
North Rhine-Westphalia has a need for personnel, particularly in the areas of IT and civil engineering. According to the VDI, there were more than 9,000 or around 7,700 vacancies. On the other hand, with more than 7,500, the country also had the highest number of unemployed engineers and computer scientists in the first quarter in all of Germany.
The association warned of an aggravation of the staff shortage. Climate protection, energy transition and digitization would lead to an increased need for employees in the coming years. In order to counteract this, young people in particular must be addressed, said the VDI state chairman Friedhelm Schlößer. He suggested advertising engineering jobs as “climate protection jobs”. It is also important to open up the job market to skilled workers from abroad.
