Germany reports labor shortage in one-sixth of professions

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s national labor agency says the country has labor shortages in one-sixth of professions and the number is growing. Its assessment came Friday as ministers prepare to travel to Brazil to encourage the recruitment of caregivers. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy. The Federal Labor Agency said that its annual analysis showed that 200 out of about 1,200 professions it surveyed had labor shortages last year. That figure is up from 148 the previous year. The agency said that bus drivers, service jobs in hotels and restaurants, and jobs in metalwork were among those that joined the list.