Skills shortages across Germany represent one of the biggest dangers for the local economy and the staffing industry has been hit harshly by the lack of qualified staff in the country. More and more staffing companies report problems with supplying staff to clients.

“Every staffing firm has experienced that a client order had to be turned down because of a lack of skilled employees,” said Volker Enkerts who heads the German federation of employment agencies (BAP).

The BAP reports that many members firms had taken action to tackle the issue by fostering training and further equation opportunities for temporary agency workers. This can range from data processing and language courses to funding forklift licenses.

Last month, the German federal agency warned of a worsening skills shortage, especially in technical and healthcare professions. A previous study found that 91% of medium-sized staffing companies in Germany complained about an acute skills shortage and 70% expect this to deteriorate in the coming months.