Experts are forecasting a significant increase in demand for skilled workers in the fields of engineering and computer science in the coming years due to demographics, digitalisation and climate protection. Despite an economic slowdown, the number of vacancies in these occupational fields remains high. However, the decline in new engineering students is particularly alarming, as reported by the VDI. In Germany, around 12.5 % fewer students are enrolled in these specialisations at universities.
Fewer engineering positions are unfilled
According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office in January 2024, gross domestic product is likely to have fallen by 0.3% in 2023. This severe economic slowdown will also have a (short-term) impact on the labour market in the engineering and IT professions. In the third quarter of 2023, the total number of vacancies fell by 4.7% year-on-year to 165,200. This is still well above the pre-coronavirus level (2019: 128,900). These figures show that the engineering profession remains attractive.
"From battery production to wind power - engineers are needed everywhere if we want to actively shape Germany as a place to live. The still high number of vacancies is difficult for me to understand. The engineering profession is the job of the future. Meaningfulness and added value for society have always been the focus," says VDI Director Adrian Willig.
There are major differences between the individual job categories compared to the previous year. For example, the number of vacancies in the engineering professions of technical research and production control increased by 9.0% and in the engineering professions of mechanical and automotive engineering by 2.0% year-on-year. On the other hand, the number of vacancies in the civil engineering professions fell by 5.3 % and in the computer science professions by 10.8 %.
12.5 % fewer first-year students in the engineering sciences
The Monitor also sheds light on developments at universities. The number of first-year students in engineering and computer science fell by an alarming 12.5% in the first university semester. Over the past ten years, the fields of mechanical/process engineering and electrical engineering have lost a lot of new students, while computer science has seen a significant increase. This development stands in stark contrast to the increasing demands of a changing society
"This trend should alarm us, as we urgently need qualified specialists in these occupational fields in order to meet Germany's future requirements," warns VDI Director Adrian Willig.
Pupils are doing worse and worse in science
The latest Engineering Monitor also identifies challenges in the development of skills among 15-year-old pupils, which places an additional burden on the outlook for the next generation of engineers and computer scientists. While the average mathematical competences of 15-year-olds increased continuously from PISA-2000 to PISA-2012, competences fell from PISA-2012 to PISA-2018 and then fell even more sharply until PISA-2022.
The number of 15-year-old students with high competences in mathematics almost halved from 17% (PISA-2012) to 8.6% in PISA-2022. The values also deteriorated in the natural sciences.
"To counteract this, measures are needed to get young people interested in engineering and computer science. Joint efforts by educational institutions, politics and society are necessary to increase the attractiveness of the engineering profession and attract qualified young talent," explains Adrian Willig. "The VDI is active here with its young talent activities, such as the VDini Clubs or Future Pilots."
The Engineering Monitor is published once a quarter jointly by the VDI Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V. and the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. and presents an overview of the current status and development of relevant indicators of the labour market in the engineering and IT professions.
