According to research from the Institute of the German Economy in Cologne, HR departments in Germany are finding it increasingly difficult to suitably fill open job positions for their companies.

The research shows that 78% of 20-64 year olds in Germany were employed in 2015, making it a challenge for companies to effectively fill positions. It also shows that in 2010, companies needed on average of 70 days to refill employment positions and in 2015, it takes an average of 85 days.

The Institute states that most companies have already adjusted to the new conditions in the labor market. However, the time spent between search start and actual start date of the new employee varies greatly in different occupational groups and sectors. For example, while companies in 2015 mostly needed 107 days in the search for academics, positions for unskilled workers could be filled on average after 53 days.

The research also shows that the higher the job qualifications, then the longer the search takes. The Institute writes that small companies are using personal networks for employee recruitment and promising great success is the way companies fill vacancies with interns, trainees or temporary workers. However, in 2015, only 3% of job positions were filled this way. The institute suggests that a useful method in recruiting personnel would be "a sophisticated combination of personal contacts, adverts and job sites on the Internet."