The following guidelines should guide economic policy decisions

Attracting and Retaining Workforce and Skilled Workers

To tackle labor shortages, Germany must integrate more of its workforce into employment.

Increasing Women's Employment and Strengthening Work-Family Balance

The promotion of employment among parents and caregivers is essential for securing skilled labour in companies. Especially for women, there is substantial potential, as they often work part-time with fewer hours. Comprehensive and continuous employment furthermore promotes gender equality in...

Extending Employment for Older Generations

To ensure a skilled workforce and secure staffing in businesses, it is essential to leverage the potential of older employees. Incentives for continued employment and flexible working options in later life are needed to retain these individuals and their valuable knowledge within companies.

Facilitating and Promoting Labour and Skilled Workers Immigration

Managed immigration can contribute to ensuring the availability of labour and skilled workers in German companies. Appropriate national and EU-wide frameworks are needed for this purpose. A coordinated approach from EU Member States in immigration policies can help make the EU an attractive...

Integrating Refugees into Training and Employment

Staffing positions for work and training in companies is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is important for companies to consider refugees as candidates in an uncomplicated manner during the recruitment process. Lawmakers have already introduced some facilitation measures (such as...

Driving forward the reduction of bureaucracy in labour and social legislation

Businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are significantly burdened by bureaucratic requirements in labour and social legislation, restricting their flexibility (compare chapter "Reduction of Bureaucracy and Better Regulations"). Recording and documentation obligations should...

Harnessing Digitalisation and AI as an Opportunity

An essential response to labour shortages lies in increasing productivity, enabling high value creation even with reduced labour input. Digitalisation, automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) offer great productivity potential for businesses. These should therefore be seen as...

Improving Support for Workplace Health Promotion

The demographic change is altering age structures in workforces. A changed working and living environment impacts employees’ physical and mental health. Extended working life poses higher demands on the working environment. Strategically anchored Workplace Health Management (WHM) offers an...

Sustainable Structuring of Social Security

Social security contributions are a key factor regarding labour costs. It is essential to prevent an increase to ensure competitiveness.