BERLIN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The average salary of computer scientists in Germany will soon exceed those of doctors, Oliver Koppel, a labor market expert at the German Economic Institute (IW), has told Xinhua.
According to an IW study that was published on Friday, doctors in Germany are currently the best earning academics. About 68.6 percent of employed doctors in Germany earn more than 5,700 (6,602 U.S dollars) euros a month on average.
The average salary for graduated IT specialists is 5,283 euros, ranking them in the sixth place in the IW study. However, this occupational field is in great demand, with 116 job vacancies per 100 job seekers in Germany.
Due to "digitization, data engineering and industry 4.0", the wages of computer scientists will continue to rise sharply, Koppel explained. "Computer scientists will definitely be the new doctors in Germany in terms of salaries."
The second and third place in the IW study is taken by industry-related engineering professions. Approximately 60 percent of machinery and automotive engineers earn more than 5,700 euros, closely followed by energy and electrical engineers. According to the study, there is a "strong shortage of skilled labor" in these sectors, too.
The share of women in high-paid technology-related occupational fields is comparatively low. Among engineers it is below 10 percent, regarding computer scientists it slightly over 10 percent. The study finds that the highest share of women, with approximately 70 percent, is to be found in the so-called "other health professions" sector.
It would not be a problem at all for women to work in well-paid jobs, Koppel explained. This would become clear in the case of doctors, where an almost "parity proportion between women and men" exists.
The shortage of academics especially in technical areas was also caused by gender choices in degree programs. "If an engineering degree course for example consists of 90 percent of men, we only use half of its potential," Koppel said.
A solution for both the gender pay gap as well as for the shortage of workers in technology-related occupations would therefore be to "encourage women to opt for technology-related professions", Koppel added.
