News update as of April 12, 2019

Germany / A rise in the number of unqualified workers and prospect of a minimum wage for apprentices. The 2019 annual report on apprenticeships and vocational training (Berufsbildungsbericht) shows that the proportion of people aged between 20 and 34 without a professional qualification is on the rise, increasing from 1.88 million in 2014 to 2.1 million in 2017, and from 13% to 14.2% of this age group. Among foreign people living in Germany, the proportion of the population that have no qualifications stands at around one third. According to the report, such people do not have “the necessary conditions for qualified participation in professional life” and would be considered, on a political level, to be a “high-risk” group. The trend is of particular concern to the government and social partners in Germany,…