BERLIN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The total number of people working as mechanical engineers in Germany reached almost 200,000, hitting record high, according to a survey published by the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) Monday.
The figure marks an increase of 9,200 jobs compared to the last results from 2016.
The share of engineers in German companies with 20 or more staff also increased to more than 17 percent, according to the survey.
Both the share as well as the total number of people working as mechanical engineers hit the highest level since the survey was first conducted in 1955.
Despite the current economic slowdown, the demand for qualified workers and engineers among German companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector remained high, the VDMA noted.
The strong demand for mechanical engineers was also reflected in the rise of salaries over the last ten years, the German online salary portal Gehalt.de announced in October.
While mechanical engineers in Germany earned around 52,000 euros in 2009, they were currently earning around 60,500 euros (67,000 U.S. dollars), according to data from Gehalt.de.
One of the main reasons for the rise of salaries was "the strong automotive industry with future-oriented topics such as e-mobility and autonomous driving," said Philip Bierbach, managing director of Gehalt.de.
The VDMA survey on Monday showed that 54 percent of German companies expected the number of engineers working at their companies to continue rising until at least 2024.
However, the shortage of applicants for mechanical engineering positions had worsened and could turn into a "significant brake on innovation," stressed Hartmut Rauen, deputy managing director of the VDMA.
According to the survey, 64 percent of German companies expected a future shortage of qualified applicants for mechanical engineering positions, compared with 51 percent in 2016.
