Is the AI Edge Slipping? German Businesses Struggle to Hire AI Professionals
AI talent in high demand among German corporations
The hunt for Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts in Germany has been stagnant for years, according to an analysis by the Bertelsmann Foundation that examined around 60 million job listings between 2019 and 2024.
With the number of job listings for AI developers and users stationary since 2022, there's a risk of German corporations faltering in international competition. Companies themselves are increasingly aware of this lag, with many already playing catch-up, as the foundation reported, citing a survey by the digital association Bitkom. "Business models need a shake-up," Michael Hüther, director of the Institute of the German Economy, asserted, advocating for increased investment in employee skills and streamlined AI legislation.
Despite a near-doubling of job listings from 2019 to 2022 for computer scientists, software developers, and other specialists with AI expertise—from 97,000 to 180,000—this represents just 1.5% of all job listings, indicating a continued shortage.
AI Expertise Remains Scarce on the Job Market
Job listings for AI-savvy employees primarily target highly-skilled specialists in AI development. In contrast, there's less demand for AI-competent users, such as those in advertising and marketing or sales.
Regionally, the jobs market varies significantly. While many German districts show little to no involvement in the AI market, cities like Munich, Karlsruhe, and the district of Böblingen stand out for their high concentration of AI job listings. Other AI job hotspots can be found in southern and southwestern Germany, as well as in the Rhine and Ruhr metropolitan areas and the Berlin area.
Germany's struggles to find AI experts stem from a broader scarcity of skilled workers across multiple industries, compounded by factors like an aging population, declining birth rates, and rapid technological advancements. This shortage can result in a competitive disadvantage for German corporations, slow down the adoption of AI technologies, and negatively impact the nation's economic competitiveness.
To address this issue, potential solutions include easing immigration policies to attract international professionals, investing in education and training to cultivate domestic AI talent, and collaborating with other countries or companies to share expertise and resources.
Sources: ntv.de, chl/dpa/AFP
- Artificial Intelligence
- Labor Market
- In the pursuit of staying competitive in the international sphere, it is crucial for businesses in Germany to consider investing in employee skills, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as streamlining AI legislation, as part of their community policy and employment policy.
- To mitigate the ongoing shortage of AI expertise on the job market, potential solutions could include focusing on education and training to cultivate domestic AI talent, as well as collaborating with other countries or companies to share expertise and resources, particularly in technology-driven industries like AI and artificial-intelligence.
