Miele, DeutscheBank, SAP, Bayer and ZF — large companies in other words — are separating from some of their employees this year. Medium-sized companies could actually rub hands on this. More people on the labour market, i.e. an end to the shortage of personnel and skilled workers in SMEs?
Unfortunately, it is not quite that easy. This is because some of the affected employees will go into early retirement with a “golden handshake”, while others will find new jobs within the company. And given the salary gap between Group employees and SMEs, it is unlikely that the shortage of skilled workers will magically disappear.
And even among SMEs, the picture is very different when looking at the individual sectors. The Manpower Group's “Skill Shortage 2024” study shows that, regardless of company size, more than 80 percent of companies are currently looking for skilled workers, primarily from the consumer goods & services, transportation, logistics and automotive, and healthcare & life sciences industries.
In most cases, the shortage of skilled workers relates to workers with very specific skills or qualifications. Medium-sized companies could therefore also reduce staff in some areas, while at the same time having difficulties filling positions with special qualifications. Location also plays a role. In structurally weak areas, the labor market develops differently than in economically strong regions with a high proportion of service companies.
Another aspect: Due to the shortage of skilled workers, some companies are no longer able to process as many orders as they used to. This applies in particular to manufacturing companies. The consequences are bottlenecks in production, lower sales figures and, at some point, pressure to cut costs — which often results in job cuts.
When restructuring SMEs, it makes no sense simply to lay off expensive employees in order to reduce costs. In my opinion, two questions are important:
1. Which employees does the company absolutely need for the future?
2. Who does the takeover need to make the transition into the future as smooth as possible?
Older (and usually expensive) employees can help with the transition. They have a great deal of knowledge and are often trusted persons for younger employees or career changers. You can motivate — and motivation is important in light of the challenging changes of our time.
What experiences have you had with job cuts on the one hand and a shortage of skilled workers on the other?
