MEM industries run out of workers
Published: Monday, Dec 18th 2023, 17:50
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The Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering industries (MEM) are at risk of running out of workers. The main reasons for this are production expansion and retirements. This is the conclusion reached by the economic research institute BAK Economics.
The MEM industries will need to recruit 83,000 workers by 2031, as the institute announced on Monday. This requirement corresponds to 29 percent of the existing workforce. Depending on the occupational group, the impending labor shortage is even greater.
It could be closed through training and further education as well as delayed retirements and increased digitalization. In addition, the problem must be solved through immigration and the employment of cross-border workers, the report continues.
Specialists in the fields of information technology and communication and managers in various areas are particularly affected. Here, the demand for the existing workforce is 35% or more. The demand is also well above average at 30 percent for scientific professions, as BAK's calculations show.
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