Economy still sees IT skills shortage, employment agency hardly any

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The majority of companies in Germany still see a shortage of IT specialists, according to a survey by the industry association Bitkom. However, compared to the peak in 2023, it has almost halved, as the association calculates: In 2026, 79,000 IT jobs will need to be filled in the German economy, compared to 149,000 in 2023.

On request, Bitkom President Dr. Ralf Wintergerst cited the weak economic situation in Germany as one reason for this decline. Companies are hesitant with projects, and major infrastructure expenditures and investments are being avoided. Furthermore, companies often no longer pursue IT projects in Germany but rather in their foreign subsidiaries, such as in India. According to Wintergerst, artificial intelligence, which is often discussed as a job killer, has not yet been proven to be the main driver of weak demand.

Federal Employment Agency sees no major IT shortage

According to Bitkom, 97 percent of companies have difficulty filling their IT positions. 78 percent of companies currently observe a shortage of IT specialists. Only 14 percent rate the supply as sufficient, and 5 percent see an oversupply. Furthermore, 76 percent expect the IT skills shortage to worsen. 15 percent expect the shortage to remain the same, and 8 percent expect a decrease. Currently, IT administrators (26 percent), software developers (17 percent), and specialists for cloud and infrastructure (14 percent) are particularly in demand.

Other market observers do not share the diagnosis of a general shortage of skilled workers in IT. For example, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) in its current bottleneck analysis lists hardly any IT-related professions anymore. “Unlike in the previous year, no bottlenecks were identified in 2025 in areas such as exciting metalworking, IT sales, or software development,” the authority announced. The employment agency also does not see database developers, IT administrators, IT specialists, or similar professions as bottleneck areas. Only at the specialist level, in the lower third of the shortage profession lists, are professions in computer science and technical computer science mentioned, because individual indicators such as the vacancy duration of advertised positions or the low unemployment rate point to bottlenecks.

It usually fails due to money

According to Bitkom, the most common reason why companies and IT applicants do not come together is the salary issue (multiple answers possible). 59 percent of companies complain that candidates' salary expectations do not match their qualifications. 48 percent also said that the salary expectations do not fit the company’s salary structure. 47 percent stated that it fails due to necessary German language skills, or due to a lack of willingness to relocate (42 percent), or because the company cannot meet the applicant’s requirements for mobile working (35 percent). 31 percent reported having received no applications at all for job postings.

According to Bitkom, artificial intelligence has so far only had a marginal impact on the IT job market. 42 percent of companies with IT positions already use AI in their IT department or in the work of their IT specialists. Another 36 percent plan to use it, and 13 percent are discussing it. For only 7 percent is AI not an issue in IT at the moment. However, widespread use has not yet occurred. 43 percent stated that they only use the technology sporadically, 46 percent in some areas, and only 7 percent in almost all areas.

No major AI impact yet

According to Bitkom, a noticeable loss of IT jobs due to AI cannot be determined, and according to the survey, the majority of companies do not expect one either. Of the companies that already use AI in their IT, only 10 percent have reduced IT positions sporadically. 85 percent have not eliminated any IT jobs due to AI so far. 65 percent also do not expect any job cuts, including 24 percent who rather do not expect them and 41 percent who do not expect them at all. However, 32 percent see possible AI-related job cuts in the future.

Companies are divided on whether AI experts will soon be in particular demand. 49 percent stated that the use of AI in their company will lead to increased demand for IT professionals with corresponding expertise, and 48 percent denied this. Nevertheless, the majority stated that AI skills will become an important part of the requirements profile for IT professionals in the future. 74 percent, for example, expect that the strategic control and monitoring of AI will gain importance for IT specialists. 63 percent assume that AI knowledge and tools will be needed in all IT professions in the future. According to Bitkom, the results are based on two representative surveys of 853 and 602 companies with three or more employees in Germany, respectively.

(axk)