It is a monthly publication of the research institute of the German PES (IAB).
Starting period
2015
Policy area
Employment
Migration
Other
The unemployment rate and share of immigrants that receive social benefits are also reported.
Funding
Other
Funded by the IAB/German PES
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Skill underutilisation (individuals' skills are not well used in their jobs)
Other
In general: inequalities on then German labour market.
Skills matching focus
Other
The instrument presents the main labour market indicators (e.g. unemployment, employment, unemployment and employment rate, social benefit receipt rate) for several groups of immigrants (immigrants from the EU, refugees, immigrants from the Balkans) and thus provides a broad picture of the level of labour market integration of immigrants in Germany.
Methods
Methods
Other
The instrument is based on German PES statistics.
Use of skills intelligence
Other
The immigration monitor itself is a labour market information tool.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National PES
Bundesagentur für Arbeit and its research institute IAB.
Other involved organisations
National PES
The Federal Employment Agency is the official "Consulting addressee" of the initiative.
Sustainability
Success factors
There was a lack of systematic labour market monitoring of immigration in Germany before 2015. The immigration monitor fills this gap.
Barriers
Internet access is required.
Monitoring and evaluation
No evaluations of the instrument are (publicly) available.
Updates
The structure of the reports is the same since October 2015.
No
Effectiveness
The immigration monitor is a major source for the most important labour market indicators about immigrants to Germany that is published monthly in an approachable, compact form. Indicators are regularly cited in the press and in policy reports. However, for the general public, some indicators (e.g. on benefit receipt) might be hard to interpret.
Sustainability
Even though immigration to Germany declined substantially since the implementation of the immigration monitor in 2015 it is still updated monthly by IAB. There are no indicatons that this will change in the future.
Occupation Information Net
BERUFENET
Description
Focus area
Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
BERUFENET is a database with training and job descriptions that contains information on future trends in several occupations.
Instrument of the Federal Employment Agency (German PES).
Starting period
BERUFENET - since November 1994 (electronically). Preceeding project before November 1994 - GabeI Verlag (in printed form).
Perspective
Yes - it includes information on trends in occupational fields.
Policy area
Education
Gives information about university degrees in various fields and how/where to study.
Training
Gives information about vocational training opportunities.
Employment
Gives information about occupational trends on the labour market.
Other
Informing people in the labour market on career choice opportunities. It helps all interested parties (PES employees, journalists, politicians, company representatives, people who want to choose their career) to process information on the local, regional, and national labour market.
Funding
Other
BERUFENET is funded by the German PES. No information on the amount of funding is publicly available.
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Other
The portal does not exclusively focus on skills mismatch, but career choices of individuals directly affect the extent of skills mismatch. With information provided on the portal, skills mismatch might become visible for participants in the labour market.
Skills matching focus
Match young graduates' skills to labour market
By implementing information on future trends in the occupation, BERUFENET helps young graduates to assess (future) labour market demands.
Upskill or reskill employed adults
By implementing information on future trends in the occupation, BERUFENET helps adults in employment to assess (future) labour market demands.
Upskill or reskill non-employed adults
By implementing information on future trends in the occupation, BERUFENET helps adults not in employment to assess (future) labour market demands.
Address mismatch broadly
Information is available to the broad public via the internet.
Skills delivered
Job search skills
Career management skills
Methods
Methods
Other
Different LMSI from different sources (research institutes, federal offices and ministries, guild and chambers, associations) are used.
Use of skills intelligence
Informing decisions on course funding/provision
E.g., information where specific university courses are offered are included in the database.
Informing and training career guidance and counsellors
BERUFENET includes a large amount of information on various occupations.
Informing career-making decisions of students
BERUFENET includes a large amount of information on various occupations.
Informing job-search decisions of unemployed
BERUFENET includes a large amount of information on various occupations.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National PES
Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German PES)
Other involved organisations
Other
BERUFENET is a service of the German PES for its customers and therefore does not rely strongly on input from external stakeholders.
Sustainability
Success factors
In general, increasing availability and use of the internet should have broadened the user base of the instrument.
Barriers
Internet access is required to access information on the website. As the BERUFENET database is very comprehensive, users might be overwhelmed by the large amount of information.
Monitoring and evaluation
Progress could be measured by internet traffic/number of users. However, no information is publicly available.
Updates
Yes
In December 2015, the interface of the website was updated to improve user-friendliness.
Effectiveness
No information is publicly available.
Sustainability
BERUFENET is updated regularly. There is no indication that the Federal Employment Agency will discontinue this instrument, and the internet will remain important in the future, as a channel for gathering information on skills.
PROSIMA apprenticeship market model
PROSIMA
Description
Focus area
Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
PROSIMA helps to understand and predict developments in the apprenticeship market and the impact of policy measures that affect the apprenticeship market. It produces a simulation model of the national apprenticeship market (supply and demand). Politicians have to react to developments in the apprenticeship market, e.g. to prevent skills shortages in specific sectors or to promote specific occupations. POSIMA helps to understand these interventions and measure their effects.
Econometric model developed on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).
Starting period
1999
Perspective
Yes, through a simulation model of the national apprenticeship market (supply and demand).
Policy area
Education
Training
Employment
Funding
Funded by national government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Other
Several types of Skills mismatch
Skills matching focus
Match young graduates' skills to labour market
It helps young graduates to choose apprenticeships that match the current demand of skills by employers
Skills delivered
Career management skills
Methods
Methods
Skills forecasting
Econometric model simulating the national apprenticeship market (supply and demand).
Use of skills intelligence
Informing the design of national qualification frameworks (NQFs)
Results are published in the Berufsbildungsbericht (Vocational training report), and so information is disseminated to a wider audience.
Informing career-making decisions of students
As students interested in vocational training can access the Berufsbildungsbericht (Vocational training report) which includes results from PROSIMA they can also consider those LMI to inform their career-making choices.
Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
As enterprises and sector organisations can access the Berufsbildungsbericht (Vocational training report) which includes results from PROSIMA they can use those LMI in order to take informed strategic business decisions.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National ministry
Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF)
Other involved organisations
Research centres, universities
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Bibb), in charge of the predictions. Developed in cooperation with the University Bochum.
Other
Employers provide inputs to the model
Sustainability
Success factors
The model allowes a very detailed modelling of the apprenticeship market in Germany (use of 210 determinants). It is innovative in the regard that it is specifically models the German training system, which is very complex and regulated.
Barriers
A lot of data is necessary for the analysis
Monitoring and evaluation
Anually, the Bibb evaluates and develops the instrument further (in so-called "Up-Date-rounds").
Updates
Please describe whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it was first implemented and what were these and why were they introduced (max. 50 words)
Yes
The model is updated and developed regularly.
Effectiveness
According to BiBB, predictions of the model were accurate. Results of PROSIMA are published annualy in the Vocational Training Report. Therefore, a wider audience might be aware of this instrument to predict supply and demand on the apprenticeship market.
Sustainability
The instrument will continue for the coming years, as it is a continuous task of the BiBB.
Qualification and Occupational Fields Projections
Qualifikations und Berufsfeldprojektionen, QuBe
Description
Focus area
Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
The initiative provides a long-term overview of the likely development of labour demand and supply in terms of qualifications and occupations. The QuBe basic projection reflects labour market development if existing trends and modes of behaviour continue to apply in the education and training system and in the economy. It thus makes a consistent pathway of development visible.
The project has three project partners (BIBB; IAB and GWS) and each is reponsible of and finances specific aspects of the project: https://www.bibb.de/en/11959.php
Starting period
2010, the 2020 projections were made available in the 6th wave of the project
Perspective
The sixth wave of the BIBB-IAB qualifications and occupation projections updates the development of labour supply and labour demand up until the year 2040 in a differentiated way by 141 occupational groups (three-digit code of the German Classification of Occupations 2010) and in accordance with four qualifications and requirements levels.
Policy area
Education
Training
Employment
Funding
Other
Funded by IAB and BiBB.
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Other
The reports includes an indicator to evaluate the skilled worker situation in Germany.
Skills matching focus
Facilitate job / career transitions
The initiative highlights possible skills shortages within occupations allowing individuals to choose career paths/studies accordingly
Address mismatch broadly
Firms can adjust their hiring/training strategies and individuals trainings matching the occupation shortages
Skills delivered
Career management skills
Methods
Methods
Skills forecasting
The idea behind the concept of the QuBe Project is to update past correlations in the education and training system and on the labour market that are observed in the basic projection. For details, please see https://www.bibb.de/en/11733.php.
Use of skills intelligence
Informing the design of national qualification frameworks (NQFs)
The information can be used by both individuals and enterprises to decide about qualifications/trainings necessary to match skills required in each occupation.
Informing career-making decisions of students
The detailed projection results can be viewed on the QuBe Data Portal (https://www.bibb.de/de/qube_datenportal.php) and therefore acessed by students in order to inform career-making decisions.
Informing job-search decisions of unemployed
The detailed projection results can be viewed on the QuBe Data Portal (https://www.bibb.de/de/qube_datenportal.php) and therefore acessed by unemployed in order to inform job-search decisions.
Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
The detailed projection results can be viewed on the QuBe Data Portal (https://www.bibb.de/de/qube_datenportal.php) and therefore acessed by enterprises or sector organisations in order inform/enable strategic business decisions.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National agency
The Institute for Labour Market and Career Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency shares the leadership of the QuBe project with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in terms of specialisms and content. The focus of the IAB in this respect is on the demand side of the labour market. Projections of requirements generated as part of the QuBe project are thus financed by the IAB and forecasts of demand for qualifications are also being prepared by them.
National PES
The Institute for Labour Market and Career Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency shares the leadership of the QuBe project with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in terms of specialisms and content. The focus of the IAB in this respect is on the demand side of the labour market. Projections of requirements generated as part of the QuBe project are thus financed by the IAB and forecasts of demand for qualifications are also being prepared by them.
Other involved organisations
Research centres, universities
The Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS mbH) is developing macroeconomic forecast and simulation models upon which the QuBe project's long-term projections and the scenarios are based.
Sustainability
Success factors
The project represents the most regular labour market forecast in Germany.
Barriers
The increased migration in particular of refugees in the year 2015, necessitated the creation of their own QuBe population projection. The introduction of the Occupational Classification of 2010 (KldB 2010) also made it necessary to adjust the 54 BIBB occupational fields previously used to 50 BIBB occupational fields.
Monitoring and evaluation
The methodology is updated regularly.
Updates
Yes
Different focus points of analysis are set from wave to wave (e.g. digitisation of the labour market or immigration).
Effectiveness
Evaluations of the project are not available, results of the forecast are however regularly discussed in the press, by policy makers and relevant stakeholders.
Sustainability
The policy instrument is sustainable and the wide availability of microdata allows to adjust the methodology to macro/micro changes over time.
Qualification Opportunities Act
Qualifizierungschancengesetz (Gesetz zur Stärkung der Chancen für Qualifizierung und für mehr Schutz in der Arbeitslosenversicherung)
Description
Focus area
Key training policy measure
The Skills Development Opportunities Act has significantly extended and improved possibilities for funding of advanced training. Further adjustments for employer and employee needs were implemented with the act for promoting vocational further education in the process of structural change and for further developing educational funding. The policy is linked to skills forecasting as training is funded if their work can be replaced by technologies or is otherwise affected by structural change.
Yes, if according to projections/forecasts the jobs are at risk due to structural change they can be funded
Policy area
Education
Training
Social inclusion
Equality/equal opportunities
Funding
Funded by national government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
Skills matching focus
Upskill or reskill employed adults
With the Act the federal employment agency supports employees’ qualifications. For companies with up to 10 members of staff up to 100% advanced training costs are covered.
Skills delivered
Basic literacy and numeracy skills
Basic digital skills
More advanced digital skills
General employability skills (team working, communication, etc.)
Methods
Methods
Other
LMI of the German PES whuích is involved in the process of promoting further training.
Use of skills intelligence
Other
Indirectly to define which jobs are at risk because of structural change.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National ministry
Federal Ministry for Employment and Social Affairs (BMAS).
National PES
The German PES is involved.
Other involved organisations
Social partner: employer organisation
Deliver opinions on draft laws before they are passed.
Social partner: trade union
Deliver opinions on draft laws before they are passed.
Other
Associations (deliver opinions on draft laws before they are passed).
Sustainability
Success factors
The Act opened further training instruments of the German PES to the employed.
Barriers
The German further training system itself in itself is very fragmented and instransparent, which might limit the effectiveness of the instrument.
Monitoring and evaluation
In an answer to an interpellation in the Bundestag in March 2020, the Federal Government stated that the German PES recorded around 29600 entrants to further vocational training measures as part of employee training from January to October 2019. In the same period of the previous year this number was 27000 (https://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/178/1917878.pdf).
Updates
Yes
In 2020 the Government undertook additional steps to strengthen and widen the subsidies through the “Work of Tomorrow Act”.
Effectiveness
No official evaluaton is available yet. According to the research instiute of the German PES (IAB, December 2020), the Qualification Opportunities Act did not result in a significant jump in the number of promoted further training courses for employees yet(https://www.iab.de/de/informationsservice/presse/presseinformationen/kb…).
Sustainability
Against the background of skilled workers shortage and changing skills needs due to digitisation the instrument might become more relevant in the future.
Skilled Worker Shortage Analysis
Fachkräfteengpassanalyse
Description
Focus area
Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
This initiative aims to analyse skilled worker shortages in Germany and identifiy bottleneck occupations. Until March 2020, this analysis was the backbone of the regularly updated Positivliste (list of occupations where immigration from non-EU countries is promoted).
The initative is funded by the German PES. No information on the amount of funding is publicly available.
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills matching focus
Match young graduates' skills to labour market
Information on which occupational skilled shortages is avaibale so that young graduates can be well prepared for the occupations
Upskill or reskill employed adults
Employees in specific occupational specities can reskill to meet the skills required in the vacancies
Upskill or reskill non-employed adults
Adults who are not in employment can upskill to meet the skills required in the occupational specialties to be able to enter the job market
Address sectoral or occupational skill shortages
Information on occupational skill shortages is available.
Address mismatch broadly
Information is available to the broad public via the internet.
Other
Until March 2020, the list of bottleneck occupations informed policy directly. It can still be used by other parties as the reports are available online.
Skills delivered
Career management skills
Methods
Methods
Other
Registed employed and unemployed from the Federal Employment Agency. The classification as to whether or not an occupation should be considered as a bottleneck occupation is essentially based on how long it takes to fill a vacancy registered at the PES (vacancy time). In addition, further information, such as the number of vacancies or the inflows and outflows from unemployment as well as qualitative occupational information, are included in the assessment.
Use of skills intelligence
Other
With this instrument, LMI was used directly to adress skills skills by promoting immigration into specific bottleneck occupations.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National PES
Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German PES)/ the Federal Employment Agency (English). This is a service of the German PES for its customers and therefore does not rely strongly on input from external stakeholders.
Other involved organisations
National PES
Quantitative data anlysis performed by PES
Other
The initiative used to be part of the system of steered migration in Germany. Therefore, all stakeholders with a connection to labour migration are affected by the initiative. However, as it is an quantitative instrument of the German PES that runs on data analysis, the influence of other organisations is limited.
Sustainability
Success factors
Through the instrument LMI had direct impacts on how immigration promotion is designed in Germany. It is still a valuable source on bottleneck occupations on the German labour market.
Barriers
Due to higher demand for immigrants, the instruments role in shaping immigration policy was replaced by the skilled workers immigration law (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz) in March 2020.
Monitoring and evaluation
As it is a very quantitative instrument to evaluate skills needs it is not necessarily subject to evaluation, but rather itself an evaluation tool to identify bottleneck occupations.
Updates
Yes
From 2020, the report will be published every year instead of every half year as before
Effectiveness
It was very effective as the results of the analysis directly and automatically influenced migration regulations.
Sustainability
The initiative was updated regularly every half year before December 2019. Since 2020, the initiative will continue with one publication every year. With the implementation of the skilled workers immigration law, the importance of the instrument declined substantially. It is nevertheless a good example on how LMI can inform labour market policy directly.
Skilled workforce bottleneck monitor
Fachkräfteradar
Description
Focus area
Main skills assessment/anticipation initiative
General information on skilled worker shortages by occupation and skills level at the local level.
No, it is based on data collected by the German PES.
Policy area
Please tick all that apply
Education
Training
Employment
Funding
Other
Funded by German PES.
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Other
To address future skills mismatch
Skills matching focus
Address sectoral or occupational skill shortages
The initiative highlights sectoral or occupational skills shortages by broad requirement levels (skilled workers, specialists, experts).
Other
Employers/employees to be prepared for future skills mismatch by gathering information on the website.
Methods
Methods
Other
Data of the German PES.
Use of skills intelligence
Informing decisions on course funding/provision
Visual presentation of relevant LMI.
Informing career-making decisions of students
Visual presentation of relevant LMI.
Informing job-search decisions of unemployed
Visual presentation of relevant LMI.
Enabling strategic business decisions at sector/enterprise level
Visual presentation of relevant LMI.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National PES
Federal Employment Agency
Regional PES
Regional offices of the Federal Employment Agency
Sustainability
Success factors
Increasing availability and use of the internet should have broaden the user base of the instrument.
Barriers
An internet access is needed to access the website.
Monitoring and evaluation
Progress could be measured by monitoring the number of users. However, no information is publicly available if this is actually measured.
Updates
No
Effectiveness
No information is publicly available.
Sustainability
Yes, as monitoring of skilled workers shortage will remain very important.
Updating VET Training Contents
Aktualisierungen der Ausbildungsordnung
Description
Focus area
Key training policy measure
The initiative reviews the training contents of VET education and produces information brochures and regulations, which provide information on a unique procedure for the development of training regulations. The arrangements form the basis for initial training in the dual system, in which many young people in Germany begin their vocational qualification.
An agreement between the federal government and the federal states regulates the procedure for coordinating training regulations and framework curricula. The process in general is described in the Vocational Training Act.
Starting period
1972
Perspective
BiBB creates the prerequisites for the training regulations to be redesigned, revised and adapted in accordance with economic, technical and social changes. This redesign is informed by all kinds of LMI, including skills forecasts and foresight activities.
Policy area
Education
Training
Funding
Funded by national government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
Overqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are above their job's needs)
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
Skills matching focus
Other
By modernizing training regulations according to skills needs.
Skills delivered
Basic literacy and numeracy skills
depends on the occupation/training regulation
Basic digital skills
depends on the occupation/training regulation
More advanced digital skills
depends on the occupation/training regulation
General employability skills (team working, communication, etc.)
depends on the occupation/training regulation
Green skills
depends on the occupation/training regulation
Methods
Methods
Expert panels
Experts from training practice, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), experts from vocational training schools, employers, trade unions, and Federal Government
Use of skills intelligence
Please select the most important options and explain how the labour market information (LMI) has been used (maximum 50 words)
Designing standards and accreditation
In the process LMI is used to design and update training regulations.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
National agency
Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BiBB)
Other involved organisations
National ministry
The federal government provides the legal framework for vocational training through laws and ordinances. These are issued by the responsible federal ministries in agreement with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through statutory ordinances.
Social partner: employer organisation
part of the advisory process
Social partner: trade union
part of the advisory process
National PES
part of the advisory process
Chambers of Commerce
part of the advisory process
Training Providers
part of the advisory process
Research centres, universities
part of the advisory process
Other
All kinds of (relevant) stakeholders are involved in the process (depending on the VET qualification)
Sustainability
Success factors
A wide range of different institutions (employers, unions, ministries, associations etc.) are involved in the process. This ensures that training regulations also meet the demand of the labour market. Also, the system is deeply routed in the German vocational training system.
Barriers
Updating training regulations often takes a long time due to the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders. In some occupations were skills needs change very rapidely (e.g. ICT occupations) it can therefore be a challenge to keep training regulations up to date.
Monitoring and evaluation
Progress could be measured/evaluated by vocational training job matching. However, an evaluation of the process is not publicly available.
No information is publicly available, but the Vocational Training Act as a whole was evaluated in 2016 by the Federal Ministry of Education (https://www.bmbf.de/files/2016-03-23_Evaluationsbericht_BBiG.pdf). According to this, the process has proven itself extensively in over 40 years of professional training practice as it ensures that ll regulations relating to dual vocational training are mutually agreed in the federal-state coordination without interfering with the sole competencies of the federal and state governments.
Sustainability
There is no indication that the BIBB will discontinue this instrument.
