staff shortage
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staff shortage
A situation in which a company, organization, or entire industry does not have enough employees to handle the work that needs to be done.
Wegen des akuten Personalmangels müssen viele Restaurants ihre Öffnungszeiten verkürzen.
Because of the acute staff shortage, many restaurants have to shorten their opening hours.
'Personalmangel' (staff shortage) is a compound noun made up of 'das Personal' (the staff of a company) and 'der Mangel' (the lack of something). So the word literally means that there is a shortage of staff.
Der Mangel an Fachkräften führt in vielen Branchen zu einem ernsten Personalmangel.
The shortage of skilled workers is leading to a serious staff shortage in many industries.
'Personalmangel' (staff shortage) is often used with the verb 'herrschen' (to prevail/exist) to describe an ongoing situation. You can also say 'unter Personalmangel leiden' (to suffer from staff shortages) or speak of 'akutem Personalmangel' (acute staff shortage).
In der Pflege herrscht seit Jahren ein dramatischer Personalmangel.
There has been a dramatic staff shortage in nursing care for years.
'Personalmangel' (staff shortage) is very often used with the preposition 'wegen' (because of) to name the cause of a problem. The consequence then appears in the main clause.
Wegen Personalmangel bleibt unser Geschäft heute geschlossen.
Due to staff shortages, our shop will remain closed today.
skilled labor shortage
'der Fachkräftemangel' and 'der Personalmangel' both mean that there are not enough people available for work. 'Personalmangel' is more general: employees are missing, whether or not they have special training. 'Fachkräftemangel' is more specific: there is a shortage of qualified people with particular knowledge or specific training. The words can be confused because when a company has a 'Fachkräftemangel', it also has a 'Personalmangel'. But if there are simply too few people for a shift, you would more likely say 'Personalmangel'. If specially trained nurses, tradespeople, or IT specialists are missing, 'Fachkräftemangel' fits better.
Nach der Arbeit bleibt die Station wegen Personalmangels länger geschlossen.
After work, the ward stays closed longer because of a staff shortage.
Wegen des Fachkräftemangels findet die Firma keine ausgebildeten Elektriker.
Because of the skilled labor shortage, the company cannot find trained electricians.