PRESS RELEASE NO. 25/2020 IG Metall: There must be no “Corona Generation”

IG Metall is calling on companies to fulfill their responsibilities even during the crisis and to continue providing training. Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall, explains: “Even more must be done now for the professional future of young people to avoid dramatic long-term consequences such as high youth unemployment or increased social inequality. There must be no ‘Corona Generation’ among apprentices and dual-track students.”

A recent IG Metall survey of nearly 500 companies shows that one in ten companies in IG Metall’s organizational area (11%) plans to reduce the number of apprenticeships. As recently as May, this figure stood at 7.3%; the effects of the COVID-19 crisis are becoming increasingly apparent. Among dual-track students, the number of planned reductions is lower (6.1%), but an increase can be observed here as well; in May, the figure was approximately 5%.

The reduction in apprenticeship positions is also of great significance in terms of its social impact. When apprenticeship programs are scaled back, it often affects, above all, graduates of secondary schools and junior high schools. This would exacerbate social inequalities. In light of technological change, which requires an ever-increasing number of specialized skilled workers, this poses a challenge for society as a whole.

However, the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are also affecting young college graduates, 50,000 of whom are members of IG Metall. Seven percent of summer workers or working students have already been laid off. New hires have even been canceled at nearly one-third (30%) of companies. Christiane Benner: “Work experience and a potential path to a job or apprenticeship are being lost. And students who finance their studies with summer jobs during the break are now left empty-handed.”

The vice chair of IG Metall is calling on both employers and policymakers to make greater efforts on behalf of the younger generation: “The federal program ‘Promoting Apprenticeship Positions,’ adopted at the end of June, is a sensible step, but it must not be limited to small and medium-sized businesses.”

Further information and press photos of Christiane Benner