CBS RIGA 2022 Compendium of National Surveys

Cross Border Seminar "Hope in times of uncertainty"
National survey: Germany
(by Euroguidance Germany)

Factors causing uncertainty for individuals making career decisions

There are hardly any recent studies or surveys in Germany specifically researching career uncertainty. There are several long-term studies (e.g. Shell Youth Study, Sinus study, etc.) that survey current state and trends of young people every four years. The most recent publication was in 2019 for Shell Youth Study and 2020 for Sinus Study. Neither of the studies therefore addressed topics of high uncertainty (e.g. pandemic, war, or climate change). One more recent study is the trend study “Youth in Germany. Youth in permanent crisis mode - climate, war, corona”, published in Summer 2022. However, the study only gives general insight into work-related statements but does not specifically focus on individual career choices. Another study is from Bertelsmann Stiftung about “Vocational orientation in the third year of Corona”, published in July 2022. The focus of this study is not on uncertainty in particular though it gives a general overview on career choices of the youth generation. 

According to the Shell Youth Study 2019, 93% of young people consider a secure job to be (very) important. If they are to set priorities, then most young people tend to prefer material aspects and job security and place the value of their work in a secondary position (Albert, Hurrelmann, & Quenzel, 2019). The Sinus Study 2020 also comes to similar conclusions, stating that it is important to almost all young people surveyed to have material security in life (Calmbach et al., 2020). 

Concerning career choices, the Sinus Study states, many young people feel uncertain about their career choice. Only a handful of the 14- to 17-year-olds surveyed have already clearly decided on a particular profession. In an interview, Dr. Christof Schleer, co-author of the Sinus Study, describes the majority of young people as rather mutedly optimistic. Hardly anyone is completely dissatisfied, but only a few are enthusiastic about their future. This is especially true of young people with low education, who often express existential concerns about their own circumstances. For many young people, the transition to adulthood and specially to working life is fraught with anxiety. Many of them worry whether their school performance is sufficient to be successful in the job search, whether they are up to the demands of today's working world and whether they will get along with superiors and colleagues (ibid.). 

These concerns are also reflected in the "Youth in Germany" trend study (summer 2022) in the list of the five most important aspects of a good (future) job. These are a good work-life balance (important to 88% of respondents), a good working atmosphere (87%), good supervisors (81%), job security (80%) and a high income (78%) (Schnetzer & Hurrelmann, 2022). 

In 2017, the German Youth Institute (DJI), one of the biggest social science research institutes in Europe, published a panel on how young people with lower secondary education (Hauptschulbildung) prepare for the transition to vocational training. This study mentioned in particular an increasing uncertainty among young people, especially regarding their vocational future. More than half of the young people interviewed have not yet made a career choice or were still unsure. Among young women and men with an immigrant background, this even applied to two-thirds. It became clear that, above all, continued school attendance is a possible alternative to direct transition to an apprenticeship. However, this step is often planned without a concrete career aspiration which means they do not attend school because they already have their sights set on a specific, possibly higher-quality occupation, but rather because they do not have any current occupational plans (Reißig et al., 2018). 

This might also explain why more than half of all students under the age of 18 want to start a university degree program (42%) or dual studies (11%) after graduating from high school and only a few are interested in starting an apprenticeship (17%), according to the trend study Summer 2022 (Schnetzer & Hurrelmann, 2022). 

The trend study “Youth in Germany” concludes that young people want a job that is fun, leaves them enough free time to and is paid well enough that they can afford to live well. A high sense of material security appears to be increasingly important to them, which can be attributed to the recent experiences during the pandemic and the war in Eastern Europe (ibid.). 

The results of the studies correlate with the typical characteristics of Generation Z (age group 1995-2009), the generation that is currently most concerned with the topic of career choice: 

• They are always online. Real life has merged with the digital. 
• Gen Z has great difficulty making decisions. There are too many options, too much information and too little time to think about the decision in a peaceful mood. 
• Youth is under enormous pressure to perform. Because they constantly compare themselves via social media with the (supposedly) beautiful lives of others, they feel bad and return to question the decisions they have already made. 
• Generation Z is highly non-committal. Whether it's a date or a new job, a decision is just interim until something better comes along. 
• Gen Z relies on the security of the family. Family support is more important today than ever before, as so many relationships of this generation are only maintained digitally and are not resilient in real life. Who will give you a hug when you're feeling down and a Like won't help (Schnetzer, n.d.)? 

These characteristics have a big impact regarding uncertainty when making career choices. This way, parents and peers play a significant and multifaceted role in the career orientation process. Parents are not only initiators and advisors, but also provide emotional support. Analysis and discussions with 14- to 17-year-olds for the Sinus study show that the support of parents often leads to the young people worrying less. However, parents often feel that they themselves are not sufficiently informed about all these tasks. Above all, they would like to see offers that suggest which occupations are best suited to their child's abilities. They also lack job descriptions, overview information about the range of career options, information about the future relevance of occupations, and pointers to job openings. Other information sources for young people mentioned are vocational orientation classes, class visits to the vocational information centre or career counsellors who visit the schools. These support systems become more important as school graduation approaches (Calmbach et al., 2020). 

The recent study of Bertelsmann Stiftung confirms the outstanding role of support parents play in career orientation, 73% of the young people named their parents when asked about who supported them. Among young people with a low level of schooling, support from parents is significantly lower (61%). Parents are followed by school/teachers (55%), the Internet (48%) and the vocational guidance service of the Employment Agency (36%). For young people with a low level of schooling, guidance services of the Employment Agency are much more important (52%) (Barlovic et al., 2022). 

Taking the flow of information into perspective, the Bertelsmann Stiftung study states that more than half of the young people feel well to very well informed by their schools and believe that there is enough information available. However, one in four also say it is difficult to find one's way around in it (ibid.)

References

Albert, M., Hurrelmann, K., & Quenzel, G. (2019). Jugend 2019-18. Shell Jugendstudie: Eine Generation meldet sich zu Wort. Beltz. English Summary available here. [27.07.2022] 

Barlovic, I., Burkard, C., Hollenbach-Biele, N., Lepper, C., Ullrich, D. (2022). Berufliche Orientierung im dritten Corona-Jahr. Eine repräsentative Befragung von Jugendlichen 2022 [engl. Title: Vocational orientation in the third year of Corona]. Only available in German. [27.07.2022] 

Calmbach, M., Flaig, B., Edwards, J., Möller-Slawinski, H., Borchard, I., Schleer, C. (2020). Wie ticken Jugendliche? Only available in German. [27.07.2022] 

Reißig, B., Tillmann, F., Steiner, C., Recksiedler, C. (2018). Was kommt nach der Schule? Wie sich Jugendliche mit Hauptschulbildung auf den Übergang in die Ausbildung vorbereiten [engl. Title: What comes after school? How young people with lower secondary education prepare for the transition to vocational training]. Only available in German.  

Schnetzer, S. (n.d.). Übersicht Generation Z [engl. Title: Overview Generation Z]. Only available in German. [27.07.2022] 

Schnetzer, S., Hurrelmann, K. (2022). Trendstudie – Jugend in Deutschland. Jugend im Dauerkrisen-Modus – Klima, Krieg, Corona [engl. Title: Youth in Germany. Youth in permanent crisis mode - climate, war, corona]. Only available in German. [27.07.2022]

Approaches for helping clients deal with uncertainty and for helping career practitioners manage stress

To prepare this section, a survey with two open questions was sent out to guidance counsellors of the German federal employment agency. 24 guidance counsellors took part in the survey and gave interesting insights into how they help their clients to deal with career uncertainty and how they help themselves.

Question 1: What sort of approaches do guidance counsellors use to help their clients who are dealing with career uncertainty?

One aspect some of the participating guidance practitioners talked about was the attitude. The systemic approach was mentioned several times. This implies first of all a positive view of humanity and a holistic view of people with their goals, current problems, individual resources and personal development challenges on the basis of a solution-oriented attitude. It further focuses on the unfolding of previously unused potential and the development of a positive, meaningful future. Many of the participating guidance counsellors mentioned as key words the analysis and identification of the client’s strengths, hobbies, interests or personality factors in order to help him/her with uncertainty. This way, focus is taken away from the problem.

It expresses a strong appreciation for the client and does not see him or her in isolation but as a system with all its characteristics, circumstances and social contacts. In this context, one guidance counsellor mentioned specifically the view on the client’s personal network.

Within the systemic approach, one guidance counsellor explicitly mentioned the constructivist attitude, which stands for the attitude that every person interprets and evaluates the things and events around him/her and constructs his/her own worldview from them. This worldview in turn determines the behaviour of the individual.

Other guidance counsellors mentioned in this context the importance of creating a trusting environment, e.g. by taking clients seriously addressing their fears. Furthermore, it is necessary to be accessible and reachable as well as to meet the clients where they are and understand their fears and uncertainties.

In order to understand the client's fears, comprehensive and in-depth counselling is required ("talking, talking, talking"). The counselling interview must be customised for each client. The use of open-ended questions is hereby inevitable.

It is important to clarify the kind of insecurity. Three different types were mentioned in the survey:

• Uncertainty due to difficulty of making a decision
• Uncertainty due to lack of information
• Uncertainty due to financial problems

Each type of uncertainty requires a different approach and method. When there is a lack of information, it is important to identify the information needed and to support the clients in a way that they receive the information and are able to find it themselves in the future. If there is uncertainty related to financial problems, it can also be helpful to educate clients about possible solutions and options on financial aid.

Most of the other methods mentioned deal in one way or another with the difficulty of making a decision and, above all, with the issue of getting to know oneself better in order to understand one's interests and abilities. Various types of self-assessment tests (online and offline) are particularly helpful in this regard. Other methods include the Card Sort method, which helps narrow down possible career fields. In addition to self-assessment, it is also useful to do an external assessment. A very practical way to find out if an occupation really suits well, is to do an internship in potential fields. To help in the decision making process, a decision matrix (sample see attachment) may help as well as determining certain decision making criteria.

Uncertainty concerning the application process and invitation to job interviews, can be dealt with by application and interview training.

Some of the guidance counsellors who participated in the survey also mentioned methods for how they deal with uncertainty in general. One guidance counsellor wrote:

One common method is reframing. Hereby, uncertainties are seen as possibilities. This method is often used in the systemic approach. In general, systemic methods and question techniques (e.g. Hypothetical questions, Miracle questions, Differentiation questions, etc.) are very useful in this process.

Others mention talking with the client about possible contingencies and to show alternative ways. One guidance counsellor quotes from recent studies, while another one uses hands-on wire exercises to help clients with severe tension.

Since all participating guidance counsellors work for the Federal Employment Agency, FEA specific methods are also mentioned, such as the possibility of involving in-house psychologists of the occupational psychology service. Furthermore, the FEA offers several measures, e.g. long-term internships for those who are unable to enter a vocational training or study programme right away.

Question 2: What sort of approaches do guidance counsellors use to help themselves deal with work uncertainty related stress?

The answers of many of the participating guidance counsellors show how important a positive attitude is. In a way, they use the method of reframing for themselves, when they describe seeing the positive sides of change. In particular, some guidance counsellors say that they are generally open to new things and approach change with optimism and curiosity. It also helps to strengthen their own self confidence. A few guidance counsellors relate the issue to their clients’ uncertainty, mentioning that it does not stress them out due to their professional distance. One guidance counsellor points out how important it is not to remain passive in a stressful situation, but to actively talk about it and analyse the situation. Another one advises getting support from others when needed.

Approaches that are used to deal with work uncertainty related stress can be divided in two sections: during working hours and outside working hours. During working hours, coaching, supervision, collegial counselling, regular case discussions and informal exchange among colleagues are mentioned several times. Peer support in particular is very important, especially since not every team manager sees the necessity for coaching or supervision. The informal exchange among colleagues is also mentioned as helpful, as well as self-reflection.

Furthermore, it is essential to keep up to date with developments in the world of work and therefore to continuously educate oneself by doing self-organised research or making use of further training opportunities. In addition, it is a necessity to be connected and establish a network that can serve as a support system. In general, it is advisable to schedule small breaks into the daily work routine. The occupational psychology service is also available to colleagues when work-related stress becomes overwhelming they themselves need counselling.

Outside working hours, it is important to find a balance in order to release stress. The participating guidance counsellors mention hereby above all sports, yoga, meditation, autogenic training, reading and music. Furthermore, in addition to exchanges with colleagues, it is also helpful to have exchanges with friends and family.

Glossary of approaches used in Germany for managing uncertainty and increasing hopefulness in the context of career planning and decision-making

• Application training: This includes assistance with job applications (cover letter, CV) and preparation for interviews. It can be offered either individually or in a group. 
• Berufe.tv: BERUFE.TV is aimed at young people and adults who want to find out about apprenticeships, courses of study or other career-related topics and is an ideal introduction to the career choice process. Based on occupational and study fields, young people can quickly and easily discover training and study occupations. There are 420 films on training occupations, fields of study, occupational fields and other topics. www.berufe.tv 
• Berufenet: BERUFENET is an internet portal with detailed descriptions and picture series on training and further education occupations, fields of study, university occupations, occupations with different accesses as well as occupations without regulated training. www.berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de 
• Card Sort Method: Card-Sorting is a lightly structured procedure that is scientifically founded in the context of guidance counselling. In Germany, the Card Sort Method is created through visual images of typical professional tools/environments. For the client, the reflective sorting of job-related terms offers the opportunity to express one's own reflections and sensitivities and to become more aware of one's own professional interests, skills, values and needs. For the counsellor, who supports this process by critically asking questions, systematising and recording results, this process is informative in several respects: he/she gets to know the client's decision-making criteria and learns how the client approaches work tasks, how he/she makes employment-related decisions or what possibly prevents him/her from taking goal-oriented next steps. 
• Career Choice Roadmap (Berufswahlfahrplan): The Career Choice Roadmap is a tool for keeping track of important dates. It supports students in all phases of career choice: gain an overview, decide, apply.  
• Decision matrix (Entscheidungsmatrix): The decision matrix is a relatively easy-to-use, rational tool to support decision making. It is intended to help compare and evaluate different alternatives on the basis of selected criteria. The method is recommended in the context of professional consulting whenever the best choice for the customer is to be identified from a limited number of alternatives. Alternative approaches that are less rationally based are for example "Symbols as a decision-making aid" and "Empty chairs".

• Measures (Maßnahmen): Measures include qualification, training and other offers to help customers find or keep a job. For young people who have not yet found a vocational training opportunity yet and are still uncertain, there are various options funded by the employment agency, such as pre-vocational training measures or introductory qualification. 
• Network analysis: The method of (social) network analysis focuses on the social structure in which an individual is integrated. At the centre of the network is the respective person. The persons who are in a relationship - of whatever kind - to him or her are symbolised by dots. The connections between the individuals can be represented by lines, resulting in the image of a "network". 
• Occupational Psychology Service (Berufspsychologischer Service): The Occupational Psychology Service is an internal service of the federal employment agencies. It advises and assesses among others clients on vocational issues, e.g. psychologists carry out the career choice test (BWT), which is used in pre-employment vocational guidance. It supports the determination of vocational aptitude in young people interested in initial vocational training for many years. 
• planet-beruf.de is an internet portal with accompanying print media. It provides information on all topics related to career choice, application and vocational education and training. It helps pupils and young people in vocational orientation to become clear about their career planning. The portal is also aimed at teachers and parents/guardians, career counsellors and career guidance coaches. They can find out how to support young people in their career choice. www.planet-beruf.de
• Potential analysis: The potential analysis is used to find out strengths, interests and abilities. The aim is not to determine a career direction. Instead, the students can find out what they enjoy and what they are good at through hands-on exercises. The exercises range from craft tasks to group exercises in which the students work together to build a paper city, for example, or a sturdy bridge made of straws. After the exercises, the young people receive an assessment from trained observers on how they implemented the tasks. The observations can be carried out by educational specialists working for an educational institution or specially trained teachers from general education schools.  
• Self assessment tools: Through online exploration tools, young people and adults can find out how well the requirements of apprenticeships or undergraduate degree programs match their skills and interests. The tool is based on four psychologically based tests (Skills, Social skills, Professional interests and Professional preferences). For young people, there is CheckU, for adults NewPlan. 
• Study check: Studiencheck offers 24 course-specific knowledge tests (checks) for prospective students in the areas of mathematics and language and text comprehension. The checks examine the prerequisites for taking up a degree programme at a specific university and whether the school knowledge meets the requirements of the degree programme. This helps prospective students to better assess what is expected of them in a specific degree programme. www.studiencheck.de 
• Study choice: Studienwahl.de is available online, but also as a print version. In addition to information on study programmes, types of higher education institutions and study applications, it contains information on financing a course of study, on funding opportunities, or on studying abroad. Terms from the world of higher education are explained in the University ABC. The Study Choice FAQ contains answers to frequently asked questions about studying, e.g. about living and studying. www.studienwahl.de 
• Systemic question techniques: Systemic questions are all those questions that aim to make people aware of connections in the individual system. They focus on how people see them and how they act and deal with each other on the basis of these views. Typical forms of questions and interventions are used, e.g. circular questions, scaling questions, the miracle question, hypothetical questions or reframing.