BERLIN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Eric Schweitzer, president of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), urged politicians on Monday to do more to resolve the skills shortage faced by businesses in Germany.
Speaking on German radio "SWR" on Monday, Schweitzer said that the difficulty firms experienced when trying to find qualified staff was their single biggest challenge. In contrast, other international risks including the Britain's exit from the European Union were merely secondary.
The DIHK chief voiced concerns that there were too many individuals in Germany who either had no jobs training and education, or had been unemployed for long stretches of time.
Schweitzer was sceptical that the mass arrival of refugees would do more than partially alleviate the situation however.
Migration only supported the economy when people were recruited abroad for specific vacancies, he argued.
German policymakers should therefore invest a greater effort in persuading older people to retire later.
Schweitzer also called on more women to join the full-time labor force, but said this requires improved public infrastructure, such as day-care centers, to enable individuals to combine careers with family life.
The number of vacancies in Germany has reached a new record high in the second quarter 2017. According to figures released by the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB), there were nearly 1.1 million unfilled positions between April and June, a growth of about 35,000 positions over the first quarter.
