The Aggregate National Supply of Job Openings and Firms' Procedures for Filling Positions. IAB Labour Market Research Topics.

Surveys by the Institut fur Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) of German firms' job openings have been combined with job registry data from the Bundesanstalt fur Arbeit on an annual basis since 1989 in order to determine the scope and structure of the aggregate national supply of job openings. The surveys also indicated problems encountered by companies in filling positions, highlighted company responses to such problems, and provided additional knowledge related to barriers to economic activities of companies. Results of the surveys confirmed the widespread conjecture that only a minor portion of all available job openings are registered with job exchanges--about 1/3 of the total supply. Additional findings included these: (1) eastern German registry offices were more involved in the efforts of firms to recruit staff; (2) job openings at western German firms were more affected by economic shifts; and (3) the demand for white-collar workers rose in western Germany. It was concluded that apart from stated complaints from firms, most companies were relatively unaffected by a labor shortage. Different measures to alleviate the problem were used by those affected, such as overtime and special shifts, streamlining, and hiring temporary workers. (There are two figures. The bibliography lists eight references.) (AJ)