Are young people with a stronger market position more demanding in their career choice?

As part of the demographic development and the trend towards university entrance qualifications, it is becoming more difficult for companies to find applicants for their trainee positions. However, this is quite possibly not their only problem. This is because young people interested in training – significantly less in number, but more frequently possessing a higher-level school leaving certificate – might be tempted to exploit their strength and market position and increase their demands on businesses. Based on the 2016 Applicant Survey conducted jointly by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) and the BIBB, the article examines what training position applicants are asking for from companies and how strongly their requirements are influenced by the training market situation and their access opportunities.