The 250,000 job problem: Why traditional methods fail

The figures from the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts are alarming: around 250,000 vacancies are currently unfilled. In purely mathematical terms, almost every second vacancy between July 2023 and June 2024 could not be filled due to a lack of qualified applicants. The result is not only stress, but also a tangible financial loss of up to €32,600 per unfilled position per year.

The problem lies in the process: only around 32 % of employees are actively looking for a job and browse through traditional job portals. The vast majority of talented people are passive and need to be targeted. A simple job advertisement does not reach this valuable group. A new approach is needed that goes beyond traditional channels.

Many companies are slowly realizing that employee recruitment in the skilled trades sector requires a strategic reorientation. But what can such a modern strategy look like that reaches both active and passive candidates?

76% success rate: How the KMLS Group fills technology niches

The KMLS Group, a building technology service provider with around 300 employees, is a perfect example of modern recruiting. The challenge was enormous: they were looking for specialists and managers in niches such as HVAC, TGA and MSR. KMLS has been relying on inga's Job-Bots for 5 years and has achieved a placement rate of 76% in over 50 projects.

The key to success is an automated process. Instead of waiting for applications, the job bot actively approaches potential candidates on social media. The result: Ø 21 screened applications per vacancy. "The job bot is fast, uncomplicated ... talent flows directly into our BMS - the icing on the cake," is the feedback.

This method relieves the HR department massively and shows how even highly specialized service technician profiles can be reliably filled. But does this approach also work for extremely rare experts who cannot be found on any job board?

Quality over quantity: How SCHRAMM finds rare experts

Recruiting service provider SCHRAMM faced an even bigger hurdle: filling highly specialized roles where traditional channels completely fail. Since 2022, the company has been using individually programmed bots from inga to recruit precisely these hard-to-reach specialists and experts in the DACH region. The approach here is not mass, but maximum precision.

Instead of a "one-size-fits-all" approach, the bots here are hand-tailored to the respective target group. These customized bots have been proven to attract passive candidates where other methods fail. SCHRAMM's success proves that precise targeting and an individual approach are more important than the sheer number of ads displayed.

This strategy is ideal for finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Such a digital headhunter for tradespeople ensures quality instead of application spam. But can this precise approach also be scaled to the needs of large companies with hundreds of vacancies?

72% hiring rate: How EDEKA masters recruiting on a grand scale

The EDEKA Group, a traditional company with over 70,000 employees, is struggling with the shortage of skilled workers on all fronts: Logistics, administration and in branch-based retail. Traditional processes tend to deter talent, and the competition on social media is enormous. Since 2020, inga has achieved an impressive recruitment rate of 72% in over 120 projects for 20 different profiles.

The solution combines social recruiting campaigns with the job bot. This conducts a short, brand-neutral mini-interview and transfers qualified profiles directly to EDEKA's applicant management system. This generates an average of 21 pre-qualified applications per position - from store management to counter service. This process activates hard-to-reach target groups in a scalable and efficient way, without additional work for the HR team.

These examples show that automated systems are the key to finding qualified specialists quickly. But how exactly does this technology work behind the scenes?

Automated pre-qualification: from click to candidate

The core of the method is intelligent automation, which 60% of German trade businesses already use in other areas. The job bot takes over the most time-consuming steps in recruiting. Instead of just collecting applications, it delivers pre-screened candidates directly to the ATS and massively reduces the HR workload. The process is always the same:

• Targeted approach: The campaign is played out on social media channels precisely to the defined target group.
• Low-threshold initial contact: Interested parties can start a short chat interview with just one click, without uploading a CV.
• Automated pre-qualification: The bot asks the most important questions about experience, availability and salary expectations.
• Direct transfer: Only suitable and interested candidate profiles are forwarded to the HR department.

This approach not only saves time, but also improves the candidate experience. A fast and uncomplicated process is crucial, especially in the competition for skilled construction workers. But the search for skilled workers is only one side of the coin - the other is the next generation.

A new approach to trainee recruitment: TikTok to attract young talent

The shortage of trainees has worsened in 2024; almost half of companies were unable to fill all vacancies. You can no longer reach young talent via newspapers. Channels like TikTok are the new training market. A market analysis by inga shows that this approach is still hardly widespread in the DACH region - a huge opportunity.

Campaigns specially designed for training and entry-level roles are significantly cheaper than searching for experienced specialists. The job bot works just as efficiently here: it speaks to the young target group in their language and gets them excited about training in the skilled trades. This turns your company into a trainee magnet while others are still waiting for job fairs.

With a modern strategy for finding trainees, you can secure the future of your company. And when the applicants are there, you can even automate the next step.