Yes, where are they? On 22 June, five experts from various fields discussed answers, backgrounds and solutions to this question together with Regional Director Dr. Alexander Lahl. Dr. Steffi Burkhart, expert for Generation Y and Generation Z, stated right at the beginning: "Manpower is the scarce resource of the future. The result: competition between cities and regions for qualified immigrants. Added to this are the changing needs of generations Y, Z and Alpha. Exchanging work for money is no longer enough; more flexible working hours and forms of work are required.

Gabriele Hanisch, Managing Director of Handwerksammer Region Stuttgart, Gunnar Schwab, Chairman of the Management Board of Agentur für Arbeit Stuttgart, Dr. Verena Andrei, State Coordinator of the Welcome Center Baden-Württemberg and Dr. Walter Rogg, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart were also present. Input and discussions with the experts and from the audience showed that there are many good approaches to revive the troubled labor market in the region. The most important tools are already available: A pronounced awareness of the problem and good networking between the various agencies.

In addition to the state capital Stuttgart, the regional employment hubs are generally the medium-sized centers of the Stuttgart region. This leads to high commuter flows to and from these cities.

Due to the important employment centers, unemployment in the Stuttgart region is comparatively low. On average, only 4.0 percent of the civilian labor force was unemployed in 2023; the national average unemployment rate was almost 2 percentage points higher.

Data source: Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office, Federal Employment Agency

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