The worrying trend in the number of infections is not yet having an impact on the labor market.

On the contrary: the number of unemployed fell even more sharply in November than is usual for this time of year.

The cut-off date, however, was mid-November, and it has hardly gone on like this since then.

Restaurants and hotels are already sending more employees on short-time work, the head of the Federal Employment Agency warns of a “hard winter”.

Another one.

Little consolation may be that the pandemic will eventually be over.

However, the next big challenges are already waiting for the companies and the employees.

Digitization, decarbonization and demographic change are causing tremendous upheaval in the labor market.

And the big question is where the urgently needed skilled workers for important future tasks, economic growth and prosperity should come from.

Less bureaucratic and flexible

A central part of the answer is: more training.

A task that traditionally and for good reasons lies in the hands of the companies and their employees.

The future traffic light government now wants to help with a new “qualification allowance”, which is similar to the short-time work allowance and is intended to enable more financial further training support for companies in structural change.

Keeping skilled workers, preventing unemployment, that is the idea behind it.

The funding for further education has already been greatly expanded by the grand coalition.

Instead of creating new instruments, the SPD, Greens and FDP should first check whether this is even necessary.

There are some indications that a lot would be gained if the existing funding options were made more unbureaucratic and flexible.

A general promotion of an entire workforce or large parts of it is also not a perfect fit and could even slow down structural change in the worst case: if skilled workers are kept in companies that are in the process of transformation, although they would have good opportunities or would even be needed elsewhere.

Individual solutions are more sensible and more promising.