Skilled Labor Shortage? Women Become a Key Resource for the Economy

A new series of events in Düsseldorf aims to bring companies and women together directly. Behind this is a labor market policy goal: more female employment as a response to skilled labor shortages and staffing bottlenecks – not through fundamental debates, but through concrete contacts, requirements, and entry paths.

The working group "Strengthening Women's Employment" invites you on Thursday, June 11, 2026, to the event "Company Seeks Woman: Talking Together, Learning from Each Other – Women Change the Economy" at the Career Information Center (BiZ) of the Düsseldorf Employment Agency (10 am to 2 pm, Grafenberger Allee 300, 40237 Düsseldorf; information/registration, among others, via the Düsseldorf Employment Agency). Women and companies are to engage in conversation there, network, and exchange ideas about lateral entry, re-entry, reorientation, or training.

Why the Organizers See Women as an Economic Key Group

The approach is clearly business-related: In many areas, there is a lack of personnel – at the same time, the organizers see employment potential among women that, in their view, has not yet been sufficiently translated into work. This is not designed as a single project in Düsseldorf, but as a coordinated network: According to the participating institutions, the working group includes, among others, the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Düsseldorf Chamber of Crafts, DGB City Association Düsseldorf, Jobcenter Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Employment Agency, Competentia DUS|ME, the City of Düsseldorf, as well as the Düsseldorf and Surroundings Employers' Association e. V. (DGB Press Release: Women Change the Economy).

This also shifts the perspective on "securing skilled labor": It's not just about reaching additional female applicants. Implicitly, the question arises as to whether companies design working conditions so that employment remains truly accessible for women – for example, through reliable planning, development prospects, and framework conditions that are compatible with care work, further training, or later re-entry.

Sigrid Wolf, DGB Chairwoman and head of the working group, formulates the claim as a platform for exchange "at eye level": "This is where the event 'Company Seeks Woman' comes in. It is intended to provide a platform for companies and women to engage in mutual exchange at eye level and to network with employers. We bring both sides together and into conversation. Whether lateral entry, re-entry, reorientation, or training – with us, women learn how they can develop further and/or break into new exciting professional fields. And companies learn how they can position themselves attractively for female employees."

What Women and Companies in Düsseldorf Can Expect in Practice

The event takes place at the BiZ of the Düsseldorf Employment Agency. Participation is free for women; childcare is offered if needed. This format addresses a practical hurdle that regularly determines participation or non-participation in job and qualification events.

The logistics are also designed for low-threshold access: The public transport stop is Schlüterstraße/Arbeitsagentur; listed are tram lines U72, U73, U83, 709 as well as bus lines 725, 733, and 810. Parking options are the rear of the agency building (Ivo-Beucker-Straße) and the residential area around the agency.

In terms of content, the process relies on direct contact instead of trade fair platitudes. The following are planned:

• 10:00 am Check-in
• 10:30 am Opening and welcome by the Düsseldorf Taskforce for Work
• 10:35 am Welcome by Birgitta Kubsch-von Harten, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Employment Agency
• 10:45 am Keynote by Dr. Lydia Malin (German Economic Institute Cologne)
• 11:00 am Panel discussion ("Lateral Entry: Dead End or Career Booster?")
• 11:30 am Presentation of the attending companies
• 11:45 am Break with snacks
• 12:00 pm Round Tables (exchange at topic tables)
• 1:00 pm Come Together at the stands
• 1:40 pm Presentation of results and raffle of a business photo shoot
• 2:00 pm End

Among the participating companies is Schulz & Sohn GmbH; the participation is also mentioned in local reporting on the format (DDorf-Aktuell).

Mark Sethe, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, emphasizes the economic connection between participation and business success: "Equality and diversity are not special topics for us, but self-evident principles of modern corporate management. Economic success arises where people receive fair opportunities, take responsibility, and can contribute their perspectives. More participation in working life is, in our view, an important prerequisite for prosperity, growth, and future viability, especially in medium-sized businesses."

Fabian Düesmann Larocque, Head of People & Culture, refers to non-linear employment biographies: "Many career paths today are no longer straightforward. But it is precisely here that valuable experiences and perspectives often lie. We want to encourage people to seize opportunities, develop further, and find their place in the company – regardless of whether it is about starting a career, re-entering, or new career paths."

All in all, the format thus pursues a dual goal: Women should get to know concrete career options; at the same time, companies should work out what adjustments are necessary in addressing, work organization, and development paths to attract and retain female employees.

What Barriers the Labor Market Still Holds for Women

The event is also a response to structural barriers that can limit female employment. The organizers name, among other things, inflexible working hours, poor pay, and lack of financial security as factors that narrow opportunities in the labor market – especially when gainful employment and care work cannot be reliably combined in everyday life.

In addition, the measurable pay gap persists: Women earn on average less than men. The Federal Statistical Office put the unadjusted gender pay gap in Germany for 2025 at 16 percent (Destatis: Gender Pay Gap 2025). For an initiative that wants to achieve more female labor force participation, this is more than just a figure: If work is less financially rewarding or promotion prospects remain unclear, "securing skilled labor" becomes a question of incentive structures and fairness – not just recruitment.

The central thesis behind the Düsseldorf format thus amounts to a practical test: It is not just the number of interested women that counts, but whether companies design working hours, pay, development opportunities, and everyday compatibility so that employment for women is realistic and sustainably viable. The event relies on conversations, concrete entry paths, and immediate contacts. Whether this actually leads to additional employment and relief in bottleneck occupations will have to be measured by how many contacts result in applications, qualification steps, and sustainable employment relationships.