Germany's Craft Sector Sees Apprenticeship Surge, but 20,000 Positions Remain Empty
Published on 07/20/2026 at 01:32 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
In Hamburg, many craft businesses have already filled every available apprenticeship slot for the year — a bright spot in an otherwise mixed national picture. Across Germany, nearly 67,800 young people signed new training contracts in the first six months of 2026, a 4.9 percent increase over the same period in 2025. That June figure is the highest recorded since 2018.
Yet the demand-supply gap persists: roughly 20,460 positions in the skilled trades remain unfilled nationwide. Analysts link the rising interest to a successful image campaign, higher earning potential, and turbulence in the industrial sector. The growing role of artificial intelligence in craft professions also attracts applicants. Jürgen Dittrich, a prominent industry figure, called for legal parity between vocational and academic education as well as greater investment in training centres.
Hamburg leads, other regions struggle
By the end of June, Hamburg still listed 1,247 open positions across more than 60 trades. The city’s overall placement success contrasts sharply with regions such as East Frisia, where recruiting young talent remains difficult. Career counsellors at the Federal Employment Agency note that simple aptitude tests are often insufficient to spark teenagers' interest in an apprenticeship.
Nationally, women account for roughly 20 percent of new apprenticeship contracts. The baking trade reported a 1.3 percent revenue increase in 2025, alongside 448 new business start-ups — the highest figure since 2018.
Public sector: near-total retention
In the Uckermark district, eight young professionals — including administrative clerks, surveying technicians, and one IT specialist — completed their training on 19 July. All were taken on by the district administration. The top apprentice in the entire state comes from that same office.
Remagen city hall celebrated the graduation of twelve trainees on 18 July. Alongside administrative roles, the cohort included educators and graduates of dual-study programmes in education and childcare. Seven of them will stay with the city. In Thuringia, 39 students from the Gera School of Social Services received their diplomas. School leaders noted that overall application numbers are declining.
Green trades face chronic shortages
Around 330 young specialists in so-called green professions — mostly in landscape gardening and horticulture — were certified in June and July across Lower Saxony and Bremen. The sector's revenues are climbing, yet the shortage of skilled workers remains acute.
Quereinsteiger trend accelerates
An analysis of job ads in Austria shows that the number of openings explicitly welcoming career changers has quadrupled since 2019. Industries such as insurance sales are increasingly recruiting from unrelated fields — including hairdressing.
Court clarifies liability for uneconomical car repairs
A ruling by the Saarbrücken Regional Court has sharpened the obligations of automotive repair shops. A workshop can be held liable if it performs a repair that is economically unreasonable without adequately informing the customer of that fact. The decision underscores the duty of transparency that specialised garages owe to consumers.
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