Workers urgently needed
The Covid-19 crisis is intensely affecting the economy, but some sectors in Germany are still looking for workers.
The Covid-19 crisis has hit the world hard. The economy is also suffering seriously from the effects of movement restrictions and temporary closures. Many people are working short-time or have become unemployed. Despite this, there are some sectors where workers are in demand, also in Germany:
Supermarkets
Almost all food retailers are looking for new staff. “At the moment, one of the biggest challenges in the food trade is having enough personnel for logistics, sales and restocking,” says Stefan Hertel of Germany’s retail association HDE. For instance, the Aldi Süd discount chain recently took on 2,200 part-time staff. Many of them had lost their jobs in fast food restaurants.
Hospitals
According to a spokesperson for the German Hospital Federation DKGE, even before the Covid-19 outbreak there were around 17,000 jobs open for nursing staff and 3,000 for doctors in German hospitals. But it was possible to free up capacities for Covid-19 patients by postponing plannable and non-life-threatening treatments. Clinics are especially trying to recruit doctors and nursing staff who have recently left the sector. They are the most important target group in the DKG’S current recruitment campaign.
Care for the elderly
For years there have been positions open for inpatient nursing care of the elderly, and now the situation has been further aggravated. “There was a serious lack of qualified staff in this area before the Covid-19 crisis. The situation worsened as a result of staff becoming ill and quarantining,” said the spokeswoman for the German Nurses Association DBfK. “In addition to this, there has been an increase in the caring tasks that were otherwise often carried out by family members.”
Agriculture
The harvesting of asparagus, strawberries and other early fruits and vegetables is now on the agenda, and there is a lack of seasonal workers everywhere. Normally, around 300,000 people come to Germany every year to carry out this work. Thanks to special authorization by the Federal Government, in April and May 40,000 seasonal workers will be able come each month, despite the travel restrictions. Even so, estimates suggest there will still be an additional demand for between 30,000 and 90,000 workers. Consequently, farming companies are desperately seeking harvesting personnel. The online platform for seasonal work in Germany (Saisonarbeit in Deutschland) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture are providing support.
Logistics and online trading
The world’s largest online trader, Amazon, is profiting strongly from the fact that many items are now solely available via the Internet. A spokesman for the company said that in Germany the company is creating 350 new temporary jobs, especially for people who are out of work because of the Covid-19 crisis. In addition to this, the need for workers has also risen in many areas, because of the increase in ordered goods and the demand for delivery services.
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