Potenzialnutzung in Ostdeutschland : eine Analyse von Angebot und Nachfrage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt

"After years of declining employment and high unemployment, the situation on the East German labour market changed profoundly in the middle of the 2000s. Given the more pronounced demographic change it is expected that in East Germany the recruitment of skilled workers will become more difficult in the future. In spite of the increasing tightness on the East German labour market, however, the unemployment rate is still higher than in the West. Hence, on the one side of the labour market there is a rising number of vacancies that can only be filled with increasing difficulty, while on the other side there is still a high number of unemployed. The aim of this study is to identify obstacles on both sides of the labour market - labour demand and labour supply - that prevent a broader utilisation of the existing labour force potential. The results show that there are no shortages on the labour market that are specific for East Germany only. Comparing various indicators between East and West Germany like the unemployment rate or vacancies highlights differences in the level rather than in the structure of the labour market sides. Although the non-realised labour supply and the non-realised labour demand have moved towards each other faster than in West Germany, the situation on the East German labour market has by no means reached the situation in West Germany. It has to be emphasised, however, that there are factors specific for East Germany which can obstruct the broader utilisation of the existing labour force potential. These are, for example, the more rural settlement structure, an industry structure that is more concentrated on construction and low human capital-intensive services or the greater weight of small enterprises. The high shares of unemployed in social assistance (SGB II), lower wages or the insufficient adaptability of the East German enterprises towards the fast developments on the East German labour market are further obstacles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)