A current study of the Cologne based psychonomics AG which was commissioned by the DSL German Seniors reveals that small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) present an ever increasing lack of qualified personnel with extensive experience. According to the study, 42 percent of SMEs are currently unable to staff certain executive, production management and sales positions. Yet there is a huge reservoir of suitable experts which in most cases is not made use of: retired SME executives.
Prof. Hans Bauer from the University of Mannheim estimates: »Taking into account that executive training costs amount to approx. 800.000 Euros, there is currently intellectual capital worth billions of Euros which is going waste.« Retired people are becoming the golden reserve of the German economy. Thus, 45 percent of companies store the data of their former staff in order to fall back on them if necessary. Fifty percent of the companies questioned want to make use of the know-how of experienced and highly qualified retired people. The »Erfahrung Deutschland« initiative which is supported by the Commerzbank AG and Pfizer Germany finds retired executives for companies which look for them. To this end the initiative is currently setting up an extensive pool containing relevant personal data of retired executives.
The online portal of the »Erfahrung Deutschland« initiative is operated by the ED Gesellschaft für Expertenwissen mbH. The initiative is supported by DSL e.V. German Seniors, the Commerzbank AG and Pfizer Germany. 