Unleashing the Hidden Workforce: 2.9 Million Potential Workers Await the Call
Approximately three million jobless individuals express their willingness to be employable.
Fancy a secret workforce? Look no further! According to the Federal Statistical Office, Germany's "secret army" of job seekers officially stands at nearly 3 million. These eager workers aren't actively on the job market, but they're ready and willing to work. Sound intriguing? Let's delve into it.
Who Comprises the Hidden Reserve?
The "hidden reserve" includes folks between the ages of 15 and 75. This group encompasses three key segments:
- Job Seekers on Hold: About 380,000 people fall into this category, ready to work but unable to do so immediately due to care obligations or similar circumstances.
- Passive Job Seekers: This group of 930,000 individuals wants to work and is available but isn't actively searching for employment, believing they might not find a suitable opportunity.
- The Hard-to-Reach: Approximately 1.8 million people in this third category haven't looked for work in the past year and aren't currently available, yet they desire employment.
The General Desire to Work
Reaching the "hard-to-reach" segment can be challenging, but it's not impossible. With proper strategies and incentives, this untapped potential could help fill existing job vacancies.
Why Are They Hidden?
The reasons for being tucked away in the "hidden reserve" vary greatly, especially depending on gender. For instance:
- Among women aged 25 to 59, nearly 31% cannot take up a job due to caregiving responsibilities. In comparison, only 4.9% of men in the same age group face the same challenge.
- Health problems are the main reason for inactivity on the labor market for 35.5% of men and 22% of women.
The Ever-Changing Numbers
Numbers fluctuate, and so does the "hidden reserve." In 2020, the Federal Statistical Office counted about 3.2 million people in the "hidden reserve". However, job seekers who are available to the labor market aren't included in this group. There were approximately 1.5 million of these last year. With that, the untapped labor potential in Germany in 2021 amounted to 4.6 million.
Sources:
- ntv.de
- raf/dpa/AFP
Keywords:
- Labor market
- Unemployed
- Federal Statistical Office
- Employment
Additional Insights:
- The "hidden reserve" includes people who are not actively seeking work but are willing to accept jobs if offered, such as those discouraged from job seeking or temporarily inactive due to personal reasons.
- This hidden reserve reflects structural and cyclical labor market conditions where, despite low official unemployment rates, there remains a latent pool of labor that could be mobilized under improved economic or policy circumstances. It often includes groups such as older workers, women re-entering the workforce, or people with limited skills facing barriers to employment.
The community policy could be leveraged to address the unique circumstances of the hidden reserve, offering targeted vocational training programs as a means to improve their employability. To attract the hard-to-reach segment of the hidden reserve, it might be beneficial for businesses to offer competitive finance packages or scholarships, thereby making vocational training more accessible.
