Vocational training and completed degrees are the most in-demand educational qualifications in job ads, according to a study from the Federal Employers' Association of Personnel Service Providers (BAP).

The study, BAP Job Navigator, looked at more than 800,000 job offers and 32,700 training places advertised in January 2018. It showed that half of all analysed job advertisements required a completed vocational training while 30% of the jobs require a completed degree. 

BAP Chief Executive Thomas Hetz stated that the results show that not all jobs require such qualifications. Hetz cites a study, Young Germans, by the BAP. The study recorded the distribution of apprenticeships in the temporary employment sector with 27% of the more than 550 respondents between the ages of 18 and 39 years having completed vocational education and training and 42% having graduated (completed a degree).

The Job Navigator also showed that when looking at the jobs that require a completed vocational training, most of the positions were for professionals (392,140 jobs).

Taking account of the occupational groups, it is primarily companies in the IT and telecommunications sectors (63%) who expect their applicants to complete their studies. Furthermore, 45% of the job offers in IT and telecom were aimed at applicants with a completed vocational training.

For further insight into the profile of temporary workers in Germany, including their academic qualifications, please consult SIA’s ‘Overview of the German Staffing Market 2017’ report.