Everything About the Problem of the Skilled Worker Shortage

What is the skilled worker shortage?

For years, one term has come up again and again when the subject of the labour market is discussed: skilled worker shortage. What exactly does this mean? The term skilled worker shortage describes the situation where there are not enough qualified workers available on the market. The problem: several companies are competing for the same employee at the same time. As a result, not all companies can employ the number of skilled workers they need.

This means that the tasks arising within a company are more difficult to handle. This can mean, for example, that innovations within the company cannot be implemented, customer orders cannot be processed in a timely manner, or the general growth of the company is restricted. The skilled worker shortage can therefore have significant effects on your firm and limit its capacity to operate.

Process optimisation through…

Since this problem has existed for some time, there are also several approaches to counteract the skilled worker shortage.

… Artificial intelligence

AI is becoming an ever more prominent concept and has now also arrived in the world of business processes. Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to simplify workflows, process them faster, or automate them. Initially this sounds appealing, but the fundamental, potential problems of using AI must not be overlooked. Comprehension or processing errors can always occur. The results of an AI should always be checked by a human employee to prevent mistakes and to ensure that everything runs cleanly in further processing. Artificial intelligence should always be approached with a certain degree of caution.

… Business software

Another widely used option for process optimisation is the use of business software, such as projectfacts. The task of such a system is, similar to AI, to reduce working time, simplify processes for employees, and thus reduce the workload for the entire company. Unlike an AI, however, business software does not act at its own discretion, but only within the framework previously defined by developers.

In projectfacts, this can look like the following, for example: one of your employees has successfully acquired a new customer for your company. A new CRM contact is created for the customer, in which all customer data such as name, address, etc. are entered. The customer data is transferred directly from the software into the invoice document. As soon as your employee has defined the line items for the invoice, these are also automatically transferred into the invoice. This means the invoice is compiled automatically, with exactly the same data that your employee had already entered previously.

The advantage of such business software is that your employee has full control over the data at all times, meaning errors never arise in the first place. The automation of processes also significantly reduces and simplifies the working time and organisation of tasks in your company.

projectfacts also offers the option of handling your company’s resource planning conveniently in one place. With workforce planning, you have a simple way to plan your employees optimally, depending on the skills they possess or the projects they are already active in. Optimal resource planning is all the more important when your company has a skilled worker shortage and you still need to cover all tasks.

Further improvement possibilities

Once you have optimised the work processes of your company, there are further options for tackling the skilled worker shortage.

You can…

• optimise your company’s recruitment process and potentially engage in scouting to identify interesting candidates on the labour market at an early stage. This way you get ahead of other companies and can attract the qualified specialists you need.
• increase your company’s adaptability and introduce flexible procedures. If you stick too rigidly to unchanging routines, problems arising from the skilled worker shortage can quickly become uncomfortable. Organised flexibility is important in this case.
• make sure that employee satisfaction in your company is high. Satisfied employees are more willing to compensate for potential staffing bottlenecks by taking on an increased workload. Satisfied employees also leave a company less frequently if larger problems arise within your firm.

make sure that you communicate any potential problems in your company transparently to your employees and try to keep your company’s processes clear and well-structured.

Conclusion

The skilled worker shortage is a real problem for many companies and can — especially in the long term — limit the growth of your company or bring other long-term consequences. To prevent this from happening to you, you should recognise early on whether your company lacks skilled workers and, if so, take measures to counteract the problem. We recommend optimising your business processes with the help of business software such as projectfacts, so that you retain full control over your company’s workflows and can adjust them flexibly. However, you do not need to acquire new software for your company straight away to get ahead of the skilled worker shortage. If you ensure employee satisfaction and transparent communication, your company will remain attractive to employees in the long term too. If you have further questions on the topic, we are happy to help. Contact us here!