ifo Institute: Help Wanted – IT Service Providers and the Health Sector Need Employees in Germany
The coronavirus crisis is having a significant impact on companies’ demand for labor and is leading to a boost in digitalization in Germany. This is the finding of a joint evaluation by the ifo Institute and the LinkedIn social network. According to the study, from March to May the number of job ads on LinkedIn in software and IT services rose by 21 percent compared to the same period last year. In the health sector, this figure shot up by 46 percent.
“In the coronavirus crisis, a majority of the state funding is going toward physical digital capital. However, to be able to realize the advantages this offers, companies need well-trained specialists with the appropriate skills as well as experience,” says Oliver Falck, Director of the ifo Center for Industrial Organization and New Technologies. “The economic stimulus package should therefore be accompanied by an education offensive to teach digital skills. Further training of existing employees in particular has a special role to play here. Infrastructure isn’t everything, as the decline in certain job ads on LinkedIn clearly demonstrates: in hardware and network technology, postings fell by 19 percent.”
LinkedIn also recorded declines in the financial sector (17 percent), business-related services (24 percent), consumer goods (34 percent), and industry (35 percent).
