Ms. Nahles, have you ever used the services of the Federal Employment Agency in your professional life?

Britta Beeger

Editor in business and responsible for "The Lounge".

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Dietrich Creutzburg

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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Yes, I have.

But that was a long time ago, that was in the eighth grade at secondary school.

We visited the careers information center.

I still remember being quite amazed at how many different training occupations there are.

At that time there were probably almost 300, today there are a few more.

And what career aspirations did you take with you?

Honestly, no specific one.

Then I just finished high school.

You know what became of me later.

But I do know one thing: This career orientation is enormously valuable, even if it is only as a very first rough orientation.

Right now we are seeing on the training market how difficult it is for many young people to find the right entry - after career orientation was hardly possible at schools during the pandemic.

You were then Federal Labor Minister, later SPD Chairwoman and with your resignation in 2019 it was suddenly all over.

Would you be a difficult case for the job placement with this CV?

Probably yes.

Of course, in the roles I had, you gather a great deal of specialist knowledge and management experience.

But, in the job placement categories: it's a lot of specialized niche knowledge.

I am all the happier about my new job at the Federal Employment Agency.

That fits – you could say good matching.

For decades, labor market policy had to do with mass unemployment.

Today there is an increasing lack of staff: at airports, in restaurants, in industry.

Is this a new era of labor shortages?

Quite clearly: whatever the fluctuations and crises that may still come, the shortage of labor will be one of our dominant issues in the future.

And that no longer only applies to skilled workers, but to workers in general.

It has a lot to do with demographics, but can you explain why this has come on so quickly now - where has the workforce gone?

We have been saying like a mantra for years: There is a shortage of workers.

Now, for the first time, we have the impression that we are being listened to.

And why?

Because the shortage of skilled workers in the pandemic has become clearly visible for the first time.

For example, with the emigration of workers from the catering trade, who have switched to retail or logistics, among other things.

If people then find out that they have another job with a similar salary that has evenings and weekends off, then they may not come back, as companies are now experiencing.

Working conditions are therefore one aspect of attracting and retaining workers.

Other strategies to combat the shortage are: more women in the workforce, more qualifications and more immigration from third countries.

As Minister of Labor you once announced the goal of a new federal agency for work and qualification.

Is this your mission now?

Much of this is now a reality.

After all, today we have a Qualification Opportunities Act that offers good funding opportunities.

In the Federal Agency, almost 600 specialists offer targeted careers advice for people in working life.

For example, we explore with both employers and employees which new perspectives in the company both sides can find through clever further qualification.

This is how we accompany transformation.

After two years of the pandemic, the contribution fund is now empty, after there were always billions in reserves.

How much does that limit your plans?

Of course, the scope is narrower now.

But I also want to make this clear: there are enough funds for our core tasks – and I also include qualification in this.

But I'll add in the direction of politics: Anyone who now wants to make new demands on us always has to provide financing.

Because in the current budget we are currently two billion euros in the red.