High age structure in shortage occupations

Marc Nemitz Marc Nemitz | 13.01.2025

In the real estate and housing sector, the proportion of employees aged 55 and over has reached 33%, signaling a considerable need for replacements.

Wiesbaden, January 13, 2025 - In many professions that are already affected by a shortage of skilled workers today, a further burden will be added in the coming years: a large proportion of employees belong to the baby boomer generation, which will soon reach retirement age. This is shown by a recent analysis of the microcensus by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The age structure in the transport sector is particularly critical: Almost half of bus and streetcar drivers are aged 55 or older.

Traffic and transportation: threatening age structure

The shortage of skilled bus and streetcar drivers has been known for years. The fact that 44% of these employees were at least 55 years old in 2023 illustrates the urgency of measures to make the transport infrastructure fit for the future. A similar trend is also emerging in the freight transport sector: 39% of professional drivers in freight transport also belong to this age group. The age structure could lead to massive bottlenecks here, as the number of new recruits in the sector has been declining for years.

Other bottleneck professions affected

The problem is not limited to transport. Similar trends can be seen in the construction and food processing sectors. For example, 33% of road and tunnel maintenance workers and 36% of meat sales workers were aged 55 or over. These figures are well above the cross-industry average of 25%. Even in geriatric care, which is already considered a systemically relevant shortage occupation, the proportion of employees aged 55 or over was 27%.

Real estate and housing: Highest proportion of older people

A sector analysis shows that the real estate and housing sector has the highest proportion of older employees at 33%. In agriculture and forestry as well as transport and storage, 28% of employees belong to the 55-plus generation. For many companies, this means that they will have to reckon with a considerable need for replacements over the next ten years.

Need for action for business and politics

The high age structure in key occupational fields highlights the need for strategies to secure a skilled workforce. Automation, retraining programs, better working conditions and easier access for international skilled workers could be solutions. However, demographic change also poses socio-political challenges: Without sufficient personnel for transportation, construction and care, basic infrastructures will come under pressure.


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