Almost every fifth young person in Germany has no professional qualifications.
The number of young people without professional training is alarming, Tagshaw notes. According to a report by the German Ministry of Education, in Germany 2.76 million people between the ages of 20 and 34 have not completed vocational education - almost one in five in this age group.
The head of the Federal Labor Agency, Andrea Nels, also expresses concern. In 2026, 179 thousand applicants found a place for professional training (education), which is 12 thousand less than last year and is only 40% of all registered applicants. According to Nels, such a low figure has not been seen since the reunification of Germany.
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education (BIBB) cites two reasons why young people in Germany remain without a profession. The factories themselves have become more cautious in offering training places due to the economic situation, and sometimes their conditions do not meet the needs of potential students. Another obstacle is the high cost of housing. In big cities, the price of renting one room can reach 700 euros, and many cannot afford rent without financial assistance from their parents.
The Association of Trade Unions in Germany calls on the government to pay more attention to the problem of the lack of professional skills among young people. "Essentially, these young people find themselves on the fringes of the labor market before they even begin their working lives. We know for sure that they have a significantly higher risk of unemployment and dangerous employment," emphasized the representative of the organization, Jan Krueger.