Shortage of Skilled Workers or Recruitment Crisis?

You can read it on all platforms, hear it in various high-profile interviews, and I too have joined in this refrain after seven years of continuous recruiting: Germany is facing a massive shortage of skilled workers, especially in IT. But is that really the case?

In the following article, I will summarize some of the experiences that we as a group, as well as some friends and colleagues in my personal network, have had. It’s very important to me to say that despite much valid criticism, there are always positive exceptions – HR staff who make a great effort to find a suitable solution, as well as headhunters who genuinely show commitment in this context.

The Starting Point

For the first time in almost 10 years, I find myself on the other side of the process. I’m drafting resumes, formulating cover letters, and applications. Now, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but even my critics must admit that I am far from the bottom of the applicant pool. So, it should be easy, right?

However, what complicates matters in this case is that I’m not searching alone but with three other people to find a new professional home. And here we have the first deviation from a defined norm – and it won’t be the last. We’d like to work from home 98% of the time, something we’ve proven over the past years works very well. And we’d like a salary that matches our skills. Moreover, we’re not looking for mere wage labor; we bring passion to our work and want to be challenged and supported, to learn and develop. Essentially, every employer’s dream, a cohesive group of high performers.

Direct Contact

So, the first step was to write to a few HR departments and present our offer. Given the much-discussed skilled labor shortage and the intensification of the whole situation in the Big Data environment, this couldn’t take long, we were convinced. That was sometime in 2023. What followed, after more than a few applications, were a variety of reactions that can be summarized as follows:

• We didn’t read your text beyond 1.5 lines, we think you’re a headhunter and don’t want to work with you.
• We currently have no need.
• We do not accept unsolicited applications.
• We do not accept applications by email; please use our non-/partially-functional portal.

A large part of these applications were to companies that are currently making a public fuss about a shortage of skilled workers in IT and thousands of positions that need to be filled. Especially considering the size of the companies, an interesting picture emerged. While employees in the HR departments of small/medium-sized companies tend to work flexibly, motivated, and solution-oriented, in larger companies, no one in HR feels responsible for special cases. Anything that doesn’t fit into a predefined pattern is rejected without further examination. The fact that this could potentially save six-figure headhunter costs with minimal effort met with complete disinterest. Meaningful conversations generally only came about when there was direct contact with a capable department head or C-level management.

The Detour via Headhunters

It quickly became clear to us that in addition to the direct path via HR departments, we also wanted to involve headhunters in our process. When we last interacted with this industry as applicants about 10 years ago, they could largely convince us with competence and commitment. Since then, we’ve spoken to over 25 different headhunters – at one point, we even had to set up a ticket system to manage this chaos – and the result is more than disheartening. While there are indeed positive examples who appear competent and willing to show commitment, many headhunters work at the qualitative level of mass-processing real estate agents. Again, the experiences can be summarized accordingly:

• We promise you the moon, but after this conversation, you’ll never hear from us again.
• We don’t really have contacts with the companies, but only access a database with open positions.
• Wouldn’t you rather work for half the salary in a call center/customer support?

Sometimes the quality of cooperation was so poor that we felt compelled to establish a process where headhunters have to apply to us first. The overwhelming majority of headhunters do not communicate proactively but at best react to inquiries, sometimes not at all anymore. And while we will of course continue to work with headhunters, I can only recommend conducting thorough preliminary discussions based on experience.

What’s Next for Us?

As mentioned several times, it’s important to highlight that there are indeed positive experiences. We are still in productive discussions. In the meantime, parallel to (our preferred) permanent employment, we also considered starting a company. However, we should not be the center of this article.

Conclusion: Between Hope and Reality

Our experiences in the application process have shown us that the much-discussed skills shortage in Germany is not just a matter of the availability of qualified workers but also of recruitment practices that urgently need modernization. The difficulties we, as a highly qualified group in the IT sector, have encountered reflect a deeper recruitment crisis characterized by inflexible application systems and often superficial approaches by HR staff and headhunters.

Despite these obstacles, we want to look forward and use this article as food for thought for companies and recruiters. It’s time to rethink application processes and adapt them to today’s working world. Companies that are open to innovative application formats, recognize the importance of remote work and fair pay, and are willing to think beyond traditional recruitment patterns will not only overcome current challenges but also position themselves as attractive employers for the future.

We firmly believe that constructive cooperation between applicants, companies, and headhunters is possible. Collaboration based on transparency, flexibility, and mutual respect can effectively bridge the gap between talented professionals and the companies that urgently need them. Let’s understand this article as a call for change and work together on a working world that benefits everyone.