Abstract

The German Job Vacancy Survey delivers representative data on the number and structure of vacancies in Germany. Such data cannot be derived from other sources and are therefore unique. The regular surveys of a representative selection of establishments and public institutions are geared towards personnel representatives and/or business managers with personnel responsibility. The survey started with a written questionnaire in Western Germany in 1989 and has since been repeated every year – always in the fourth quarter – as cross-sectional survey; since 1992 also in Eastern Germany. Representative data on job vacancies are published at very short notice for all economic sectors – six weeks after the end of the quarter at the latest. With its annually available data on the progress of staffing processes, for example with information on the search and staffing methods including the degree of engagement of employment services, information on the search durations and the reasons for difficulties in staffing, the survey allows up-to-date analyses as well as the observation of changes over time.