Mannheim Stadt im Quadrat Mannheim's ... - Stadt Mannheim

eDIToRIAl / MAyoR Top locATIon foR SkIlleD peRSonnel AnD MAnAgeRS
Bringing talent to Mannheim and positioning
the city as a top location for managers
and other skilled employees are more than
just the focus topics of the latest edition of
the business magazine “Mannheim – Stadt im
Quadrat”; these aims also guide our efforts to
secure Mannheim’s future.
The process of demographic change is
currently in full swing, and a dearth of skilled
personnel has already reared its head in numerous
cases. The forecasts of Prognos AG
anticipate a shortfall of 280,000 employees
– including 100,000 university graduates – in
the year 2015 in Mannheim’s home state of
Baden-Wuerttemberg alone. This number
is expected to increase to 500,000 by 2030.
Meanwhile, research conducted as part of
Mannheim’s Change 2 process has shown
that by 2020, around 21,000 additional
skilled employees and managers will be
needed in the key industries that employ
some 40 percent of citizens required to pay
into social insurance in the city.
We need to meet these challenges headon;
sitting back and doing nothing would not
reflect the character of our city or the companies
who work here. In her recent study
of the spirit that drives Mannheim, Martina
Löw offers a succinct summary of the city’s
self-image: “We’ve got the power to handle
it ourselves!” True to form, Mannheim has
responded with two courses of action.
The city’s Department of Economic and
Structural Development has been reorganized
in the course of Mannheim’s new
politico-economic strategy, which focuses on
maintaining the portfolio of companies that
call Mannheim home. The department will
be striving to play an even greater role with
these clients as an important sounding board
for matters of urban development. Thanks
to its appointment of an official “talents &
professionals” representative, Mannheim now
also has a designated contact person tasked
with supporting local companies in all issues
regarding skilled personnel.
In its talent and skilled employee
strategy, meanwhile, the city is taking a
comprehensive approach that should enable
us not only to bring the brightest minds to
Mannheim, but to encourage them to stay
long-term, as well. In addition to attractive
residential areas and ways to balance one’s
family and career, our collaboration with
the University of Mannheim and other local
institutions of higher learning represents
a major strategic component of this effort.
Various studies have revealed that the cities
that come out ahead in regional competition
will be those that offer an appealing
uni versity landscape. The universities
themselves will benefit in turn from having
attractive companies nearby, as well as a
high standard of living. For young people
who decide to pursue a degree, the quality
of life and career perspectives in the places
they choose to study will be of even greater
importance in the future.
Not to be outdone by the city, Mannheim’s
companies are also taking action. Employer
branding and activities designed to get people
excited about companies at a young age are
becoming more and more essential. At career
fairs, Mannheim and its local employers present
themselves in a joint effort to promote
the area’s business credentials. After all, a
tightly knit network of companies, universities,
and the area at large is just another Mannheim
specialty.
Dr. Peter Kurz
City supporting businesses
Bringing Talent to Mannheim
Due to inexorably shifting demographics,
Mannheim is projected
to face a shortfall of around 21,000
skilled employees by the year 2020.
The city is not taking this news lying
down, however: It has developed a
new strategy designed to support local
businesses by attracting talent and
qualified personnel.
The German labor market is undergoing
major changes: A shift in demographics is in
full swing and many industries are already
dealing with a lack of executives and other
skilled employees. The city of Mannheim
is among those facing the effects of this
problem. “The city needs to take action to
ensure its future as an attractive location for
business,” declares Mannheim mayor Dr.
Peter Kurz, referring to an analysis conducted
by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. In the
context of the current upheaval, the study in
question took a close look at industries relevant
to Mannheim – from creative businesses
to medical technology, mechanical engineering,
and service providers. The result? By
2020, the city will need 21,000 more skilled
personnel and managers than it has.
“A region’s prosperity always depends
on the talented individuals who live there,”
explains Dr. Björn Bloching of Roland
Berger Strategy Consultants. In a “society
shaped by knowledge work,” Bloching
believes quality of life is playing an ever-
greater role. He views Mannheim as already
well equipped to meet the corresponding
demands: The city features a diversified
industrial base that dovetails well with
its dynamic landscape of up-and-coming
businesses, and the same could be said of
its scientific institutions and local economy.
An above-average number of qualified
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