Germany is losing ground in AI jobs, study warns

Germany is losing ground when it comes to jobs in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a study. An analysis published Tuesday by the Bertelsmann Foundation in Gütersloh and the German Economic Institute (IW) in Cologne shows that the share of job postings for AI applications and development has stagnated at 1.5 percent of all job advertisements since 2022. Between 2019 and 2022, the number almost doubled from 97,000 to 180,000.

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"The economic opportunities offered by AI are not yet being exploited in Germany," explained Hannes Ametsreiter, Chairman of the Board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. AI could increase productivity in Germany's economy as a whole by 16 percent. "If AI is not used more extensively in companies, we will lose international competitiveness," warned Ametsreiter.

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According to the data, the absolute number of positions advertised online declined slightly last year. Companies themselves also increasingly see themselves as lagging behind in AI, with many already feeling left behind, as the Bertelsmann Foundation reported, citing a survey conducted by the digital association Bitkom. According to the study, developers are particularly sought after. 

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"Companies must reexamine their business models," explained Michael Hüther, Director of the German Economic Institute. He called for more investment in employee skills and a low-bureaucracy implementation of the AI ​​Regulation.

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According to the study, Munich has a particularly high number of AI-related online ads, accounting for 4.5 percent of the total market. Karlsruhe and the Böblingen district follow. In general, the south and southwest are an "AI hotspot," explained the Bertelsmann Foundation and the IW. The automotive industry and its suppliers are particularly well represented there. The same applies to the Rhine-Ruhr region and the greater Berlin area. Rural regions, however, lag behind.

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For the study, the researchers evaluated around 60 million online job advertisements between the beginning of 2019 and the end of 2024.