Attractive location for skilled workers

The southwest of Baden-Württemberg is one of the most innovative and economically strong regions in the whole of Europe. The Stuttgart region alone is home to more than 160,000 companies employing a large number of well-qualified specialists. The high competitiveness of industrial, trade and service companies is a result of their know-how. This also means that maintaining a sufficient number of qualified specialists is crucial for ensuring lasting economic prosperity in the southwest. 

This challenge is seen as one of the greatest for the future by many companies in the region. Economic surveys conducted by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) indicate that a third of all companies in Baden-Württemberg perceive the shortage of skilled workers as an acute business risk. In fact, one IHK study revealed that the economy will lack an average of 200,000 skilled workers annually by 2030.  Among these workers are technicians, specialists and business economists, master craftsmen, business specialists and academics.

The resulting forecast: If the course for developing additional skilled labour is not set in a timely manner, local companies will face the major challenge of remaining innovative and competitive with an ageing workforce and increasing bottlenecks. In addition to measures in the areas of education, flexible childcare and pension regulations, the expansion of the infrastructure to ensure a much better connection of the region to the surrounding countryside and a significant reduction in travel time is regarded as an effective means of countering the skilled labor shortage.

Stuttgart Airport is located in the middle of the metropolitan region and will be much better connected and accessible thanks to the new Stuttgart 21 through rail station with the new line to Ulm. Experts predict that the catchment area for commuters will expand significantly from the current 2.7 million due to the reduced travel time. This means that in the future, skilled workers from more remote locations will be able to commute to the region without having to relocate.

The location of the Stuttgart Airport City business park, which is located directly at the airport and the new traffic hub on the Fildern, is particularly favourable. The future time savings are enormous: for example, the journey to Stuttgart Airport from Tübingen will be reduced from 65 to just 35 minutes, from Heilbronn 86 to 48 minutes, from Rottweil 122 to 59 minutes. The train journey from Ulm Central Station to the airport will take only half an hour and the trip from Nürtingen to the airport will take just ten minutes, about seven times less than today.

The Association for the Region of Stuttgart also predicts that the expansion of the infrastructure will make the region even more attractive for skilled workers, enabling the southwest to maintain and further develop its position as a strong business center on the global market. According to a study by the consulting firm Ernst & Young, the region can also score points with foreign investors who already favour Baden-Württemberg.  One of the world’s four largest auditing firms, Ernst & Young also chose a new and strategically favourable location: Stuttgart Airport City.