Führungskräfte: Hochqualifiziert, erfolgreich, arbeitssuchend – Vier Betroffene berichten

Berlin – The traditional belief in Germany that skilled, successful, and job-seeking individuals would find employment is no longer true. In the current economic downturn, many companies are not only hiring fewer people but also laying off employees. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), around 15,000 jobs are lost in the industry alone each month.

This has left a growing number of job seekers with fewer open positions to apply for. What's new is that this trend is increasingly affecting highly qualified academics, managers, and executives. In just one year, the number of unemployed executives across all sectors has increased by 14 percent, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office.

The percentage of academics who remain unemployed for over a year has also risen recently. The Handelsblatt newspaper launched an invitation on the LinkedIn job platform, where over 100 affected individuals reported. They are highly qualified, led teams, and some held C-level positions. Most of them were either dismissed or offered a contract termination.

Some even resigned from their employers, believing they would quickly find something new. Most of them were between 50 and 60 years old. Four of them share their experiences of prolonged job searches and the challenges posed by unemployment.