In view of ongoing digitization, advisers to the federal government are proposing a legal entitlement to further vocational training.
In order to prevent unemployment, Germany must establish a system that also enables older people to receive qualified further training, argued the experts on the Scientific Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry of Economics on Thursday.
The recommendation is part of a current report prepared by the experts on the future of work.
Not all companies are active when it comes to providing their employees with professional training, said Advisory Board member Jens Südekum, Professor of International Economics at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.
A legal entitlement to further training could help to close this gap.
However, it must be designed in such a way that companies can define for themselves what type of further training is in their interest.
So far, a legal entitlement to further vocational training is not part of the Federal Government's plans.
Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) announced at the beginning of the year that he wanted to significantly expand further training in Germany.
Among other things, the minister intends to enable employees to take a state-funded break for further training.
The experts on the Scientific Advisory Board warned against underestimating the upcoming challenges on the labor market.
It is true that Germany is not currently heading towards mass unemployment due to technological change.
However, that does not mean that “problematic labor market and distribution effects” cannot occur “with the forthcoming waves of digitization”.
Structural unemployment could develop in Germany if jobs were cut in some sectors and at the same time skilled workers were desperately needed in others.
According to the experts, this could result in a “mismatch” with unemployment on the one hand and innovative jobs without the right specialists on the other.
"Politicians should adjust to this situation," warned Südekum.
A technological "catch-up process" is also necessary.
With many of the new technologies, Germany "no longer has the status of a global technology leader", the experts determined.