Spirit of optimism in the baking sector
iba.TOPIC: SKILLED EMPLOYEES
The shortage of skilled labour is hitting the bakery sector hard. Yet despite the crisis, there is also a growing desire among businesses to show entrepreneurial spirit and explore new possibilities – in the form of innovative training formats and modern working models, for example.
A smell of fresh bread in the early morning, a bakery with full shelves and displays and a familiar face behind the counter – the traditional bakery trade is an important part of everyday life for many people. And bread and baked goods symbolise variety and local produce like few other foods. Yet behind this outward appearance of stability lies an industry in upheaval.
Demographic shift, changing consumer habits and, above all, the desperate shortage of skilled labour are putting many companies under pressure. More and more bakeries are going out of business, not because of a lack of customers, but because it is almost impossible to hire staff or find a successor. “The shortage of skilled labour in the bakery trade is now serious and represents a major challenge for many bakeries in Germany. Branches are having to close at short notice or reduce their opening hours because it is not possible to compensate for staff shortages,” explains Nils Konstantin Vogt, Vocational Training and Skilled Labour Officer at the German Bakers’ Confederation.
Smaller, family-run bakeries in particular find themselves confronted with the mammoth task of attracting new staff, retaining employees over the long term and remaining competitive. At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness within the sector of potential solutions – involving more innovation, greater visibility and a new self-confidence in the trade. “Nowadays, bakeries that are successful in attracting and retaining skilled staff do so by combining innovative practices with ideas for making employees feel appreciated. Successful bakeries take a modern approach, establish a good working culture and offer targeted benefits – tailored to the individual needs of their employees,” emphasises Vogt.
Training is the key to the future
One institution that is actively shaping this change is the Bundesakademie Weinheim. Under the management of Bernd Kütscher, the academy has developed into a central platform for the development of skilled labour, talent promotion and PR in the bakery trade. The aim is to strengthen the trade by offering excellent initial and further training, internationally recognised qualifications and new, inspiring career paths.
“We have seen continuously rising demand for our initial and further training programmes in recent years. In addition to the traditional courses for master bakers, master confectioners, business administrators or sales managers, there are numerous innovative training programmes which are also proving very popular,” says Kütscher. With courses such as the Bread Sommelier Programme, the Academy has successfully managed to redefine the occupation of the baker – as a connoisseur, as a craftsman, as an entrepreneur. “The fact that it is now possible to train as a bread sommelier has noticeably changed the sector, because it has significantly raised the standing of this staple food. Such programmes are also helping to make the job profile more attractive and counteract the shortage of skilled labour,” says Kütscher, referring not only to the economic success, but also to the recognition, motivation and identification which the occupation can generate. The results speak for themselves: 279 participants from 12 countries have successfully graduated since the Bread Sommelier programme was introduced in 2015.
Reconciling aspiration with reality:
The practical challenges
But despite such flagship projects, the shortage of skilled labour remains one of the most pressing issues facing the sector. Many companies are confronted with insufficient numbers of young people entering training, even though – at 11,000 – the number of training contracts signed in the last training year was significantly higher than in the previous year, representing around 1,000 more trainees than in 2023, according to the Confederation. “The skilled trades have long suffered from an image problem. In many ways, the occupation of craft baker does not enjoy the status it deserves in society. In addition, more and more young people are choosing to stay on at school and study instead of joining a vocational training programme,” explains Nils Konstantin Vogt.
Against this background, many companies have realised that it is not enough to rely on conventional training marketing alone. What is needed is modern communication that reflects the reality of young people’s lives and offers genuine career prospects. This is where the Confederation’s “Back dir deine Zukunft” (Bake your future) initiative comes in, which includes authentic insights from baking influencers, career guidance programmes and a dedicated online portal. The digital trainee campus was also launched in January 2025 – including learning videos, exercises and a free “Success trainer”.
Further training, career-changers and international recruitment
The shortage of junior staff emphasises the importance of investing in further training. A promising approach here is to offer suitable training to career changers and those with no vocational training. Such measures not only maintain high levels of quality in the bakery and salesroom, but also help to develop an interest and expertise in baked goods and bread among the staff.
Training institutions such as those in Weinheim are also increasingly exploiting the benefits of digitalisation: “We ourselves use modern technology to make the learning content more flexible and interactive. For example, we offer online seminars and webinars that allow participants to study whenever and wherever it suits them,” says Kütscher.
More and more companies are also expanding the scope of their search – to South East Asia or North Africa, for example. “We are seeing a great deal of openness among companies to make use of this solution. Recruiting trainees from third countries involves additional work and various hurdles need to be overcome, but it is worth it. We know of numerous positive examples of how this can work,” says Nils Konstantin Vogt.
Go German is an initiative aimed at placing skilled workers from Southeast Asia with trades companies in Germany. As owner Ron Schenke can attest, more and more young people from this region are opting for an apprenticeship in the bakery trade: “German training courses in the bakery sector were completely unheard of in Asia eight years ago, yet today around a quarter of applicants are specifically interested in training in the bakery sector – as a baker, confectioner or sales assistant.” The initiative, which is also exhibiting at iba, is working with over 20 bakeries across Germany. “Our trainees come mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, where we run our own language schools and prepare future trainees in both the language and the culture. Many of them are now firmly integrated in companies and are actively contributing to their success.”
From survival mode to future strategy
Turning the tide in the fight against the shortage of skilled labour requires a range of different measures, but also an overriding strategy that covers training, social integration, employer attractiveness and corporate culture. “Nevertheless, the shortage of well-trained staff can also be an opportunity if we can learn to see it as such. It is important to question the familiar solutions, to alter structures and have the courage to make changes – for the benefit of all concerned,” says Nils Konstantin Vogt.
This is also apparent from the example of numerous companies, social initiatives and training service providers that are committed to recruiting skilled staff and to providing training in the bakery trade. Larger companies such as “Schäfer Dein Backer” or Kamps operate their own training centres which provide employees and managers with targeted further training. At the same time, digital solutions such as “BackOfficeDigital” and the “Digi-BacK” project are being developed to provide e-learning programmes specifically for small and medium-sized bakeries. These different practical approaches show that new solutions are also being pursued beyond traditional training formats in order to attract, retain and develop skilled staff.
The bakery trade is at a watershed. The challenges are real – but so, too, are the opportunities. Anyone wishing to attract young people to the skilled trades, has to offer them opportunities that go beyond the traditional career paths. But, as Nils Konstantin Vogt points out: “The bakery trade offers genuine prospects to young people who are keen
to do something meaningful and creative. And if they want to become their own boss, this is a dream they can turn into reality very quickly.”
Alexander Stark
Shortage of skilled labour
20,000 jobs have been lost since 2014. At the same time, part-timers now account for almost 40 per cent of staff. The rise in the number of people training to become specialist bakery sales assistants is encouraging. There was an increase of 22.5 per cent in 2024.
(Source: Bäckerei-Monitor)
Development of bakery trade workforce 2014 – 2024
2014 – 277,200
2015 – 275,200
2016 – 273,400
2017 – 273,700
2018 – 270,400
2019 – 266,000
2020 – 255,300
2021 – 240,800
2022 – 238,200
2023 – 235,200
2024 – 235,000
Source: German Bakers’ Confederation based on data
from the Federal Statistical Office, Berlin, 2025
