Demographic Change, Labour Shortages, and SME Succession in Germany: A Data Analytics Perspective

Germany is undergoing profound demographic and labour market transformations that pose significant challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly regarding workforce availability and succession planning. This review synthesises the literature on demographic change, labour shortages, and SME succession in Germany, with a specific focus on data sources and analytical methods. It examines demographic statistics, labour market microdata, and firm-level panel datasets, highlighting their use in forecasting, panel regression, survival analysis, and succession studies. The review identifies methodological fragmentation, limited integration across data domains, and underutilisation of predictive and machine-learning approaches. Findings underscore the potential for integrative, data-driven research to inform both academic understanding and evidence-based policy interventions. By linking demographic projections, labour market dynamics, and firm-level outcomes, future research can better anticipate succession risks, regional vulnerabilities, and workforce constraints, providing actionable insights for SMEs and policymakers.

کلیدواژه ها:

Germany ، Demographic Change ، Labour Shortages ، SMEs ، Succession Planning ، Panel Data ، Forecasting ، Survival Analysis ، Economic Data Analytics