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Red alert: number of trainees in Hamburg at a historic low!
The training situation in Schleswig-Holstein: Decline in the number of trainees, challenges caused by a shortage of skilled workers and demographic change.
Red alert: number of trainees in Hamburg at a historic low!
The current situation in Hamburg is worrying: the number of trainees has reached a low, as [n-tv](https://www.n-tv.de/regionales/hamburg-und-schleswig-holstein/ Zahl-der-Azubis-in-Hamburg-auf-Tiefstand-article25908472.html) reports today. In the 2024/2025 training year, only 32,943 young women and men will begin their professional careers in the Hanseatic city. This is the lowest level in almost 25 years and a significant decrease compared to the 34,865 trainees in 2000.
The decline is particularly noticeable since the peak in the 2008/2009 training year, when there were 39,604 trainees and there were significantly more and more colorful trainees. CDU expert David Erkalp therefore expresses great concern about this development and attributes it in part to the fact that more and more young people are aiming for universities instead of training companies. The number of students in Hamburg has almost doubled since the turn of the millennium - from 65,000 to 121,397 in the winter semester of 2024/2025.
The reactions of politicians
In order to counteract the downward trend, the CDU is calling for increased measures to promote training, particularly in the skilled trades. The proposal includes, among other things, the creation of dormitories for trainees, the assumption of the costs for master craftsman examinations and the introduction of a “Handicraft Day” in schools. The aim is to provide targeted advertising for school internships in craft businesses and to present attractive career fields.
Challenges in the labor market
The decline in trainees is in the context of a comprehensive shortage of skilled workers in Germany, as the analyzes by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs show. The skilled worker monitoring finds that the number of people in employment is falling and that immigration and a higher propensity to work cannot compensate for this development. The working hours per person are low and there is no increase in sight.
Demographic changes are having a direct impact on the labor market and household consumption is becoming the main driver of economic growth. Observations show that over the next five years, 618,000 people without qualifications will enter the labor market, while only 396,000 assistant positions will become available. These are alarming figures, especially when you consider that high dropout rates in educational institutions primarily affect people of foreign nationality.
Long-term perspectives and solutions
The analyzes also take a look into the future and highlight various scenarios for increasing the workforce potential, especially for women, older workers and people with a migrant background. The fit problems in the labor market and the ongoing structural change caused by demographics, digitalization and decarbonization are identified as major challenges. Regional differences in demographic change are to be expected, particularly in structurally weak regions.
A lot depends on the players on the training market. It is time to take new paths and set the course for positive development. Will Hamburg succeed in increasing the attractiveness of training occupations again? The coming years will show.