Skilled Labor Shortages? Women Should Play a Bigger Role

In Düsseldorf, a networking event aims to specifically bring women and companies together—as a practical approach to address staffing shortages in several industries. Under the title “Company Seeks Woman: Talking Together, Learning from Each Other—Women Change the Economy,” the working group “Strengthening Women's Employment” invites participants on June 11, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to the Career Information Center (BIZ) of the Düsseldorf Employment Agency (Grafenberger Allee 300, 40237 Düsseldorf). The focus is on career changers, re-entrants, reorientation, and training—and the question of how companies can become more attractive to female employees.

The format is deliberately designed as a meeting space: not just to inform, but to create opportunities for conversation, enable contacts, and make concrete entry paths visible. Whether applications or job changes result directly from this will only become clear after the event. However, the goal is clear: securing skilled labor should not rely solely on job advertisements, but also on access, outreach, and working conditions.

A Meeting with a Program—and with Direct Exchange

The event takes place at the BIZ of the Düsseldorf Employment Agency. Tabea Schneider from the Düsseldorf Chamber of Crafts is scheduled as moderator. Among others, Schulz & Sohn GmbH has been announced.

• 10:00 a.m.: Check-in
• 10:30 a.m.: Opening and welcome by the Düsseldorf Taskforce for Employment
• 10:35 a.m.: Welcome by Birgitta Kubsch-von Harten, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Employment Agency
• 10:45 a.m.: Keynote by Dr. Lydia Malin (German Economic Institute Cologne)
• 11:00 a.m.: Best-Practice Talk “Career Change: Dead End or Career Booster?”
• 11:30 a.m.: Presentation of attending companies
• 11:45 a.m.: Break with snacks
• 12:00 p.m.: Round tables at topic stations (participants and companies in direct conversation)
• 1:00 p.m.: Come Together at the booths
• 1:40 p.m.: Presentation of results and raffle of a business photo shoot
• 2:00 p.m.: End

Participation is free of charge for women; childcare is offered if needed—a detail that underscores the aim not just to name barriers, but to practically lower them.

Why the Focus on Women is Also Economic

The background is a labor market that functions very differently depending on the occupational field. The 2025 Skilled Labor Shortage Analysis by the Federal Employment Agency continues to describe numerous shortage occupations—especially in nursing and medical professions as well as in construction and crafts. At the same time, the findings are differentiated: a widespread shortage across all professions cannot be derived from this. For many companies, however, the search for qualified personnel remains a central problem, especially where training capacities, demographic developments, and peak workloads coincide.

This is exactly where the Düsseldorf initiative comes in: Those who want to attract women for (re-)entry, qualification, or job changes must not only formulate job profiles, but also improve working realities—in terms of predictability, working time arrangements, development prospects, and pay. Nationwide data show that such factors differ measurably: the unadjusted gender pay gap in Germany was 16 percent in 2025. And in 2024, 46.8 percent of employed women had influence over the start and end of their working hours—compared to 52.8 percent of men. For companies, this means: attractiveness is not just a matter of image, but depends on structures that determine whether applications are even possible—and whether employees stay.

Voices from the Working Group and Companies

Sigrid Wolf, DGB Chairwoman and head of the working group, describes the meeting as a networking platform: “It should provide a platform for companies and women to engage in mutual exchange on equal footing and to network with employers. We bring both sides together and into conversation. Whether career change, re-entry, reorientation, or training—women can learn with us 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.”

Mark Sethe, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Schulz & Sohn GmbH, says: “Equality and diversity are not special topics for us, but self-evident aspects of modern corporate management. Economic success arises where people are given fair opportunities, can take on responsibility, and 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, points to changing employment biographies: “Many career paths today are no longer linear. But it is precisely in this 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 professional paths.”

Arrival and Framework Conditions

• Public transport stop: Schlüterstraße/Arbeitsagentur (tram lines U72, U73, U83, 709; bus lines 725, 733, 810)
• Parking: Rear of the agency building on Ivo-Beucker-Straße as well as in the surrounding residential area