Proportion of women in top management

Progress is being made in terms of the proportion of women on German executive boards—in very small steps. In September, 20% of board positions in German companies were held by women, and in the 40 DAX companies, the figure rose to 25%. These findings are summarized by the AllBright Foundation, which focuses on gender equality, in its Autumn Report 2024 under the warning “Mind the gap.” Basically, it can be observed that the momentum in increasing the proportion of women has slowed somewhat this year, especially compared to previous years. The proportion of female board members rose by 2.3 percentage points, while the proportion on supervisory boards increased by 0.9 points. Of the 160 listed companies, approximately two-thirds now have women on their boards. The figure is particularly high at Allianz, Airbus, and Telekom, each with three women; among DAX companies, only Porsche Holding has no women at all. In the highest positions of power in companies—the chairmanship of executive and supervisory boards—the proportion of women is stagnating at a very low level. The 160 listed companies have a total of only ten female supervisory board chairs (e.g., Delivery Hero, Puma, and Vonovia) and seven female CEOs (e.g., Fresenius, Merck, and the Renk Group). In an international comparison, Germany lags far behind: the UK leads the way with a 32.1% share of women in the largest listed companies. Based on this, the AllBright Foundation concludes by identifying success factors for gender equality: In the UK, for example, the lively public debate, voluntary commitments by companies, and reporting requirements on the proportion of women in management and the gender pay gap were helpful. Germany could use this as a guide to bring more momentum back into gender equality in top positions.

We were also interested in the following topics:

• Care sector: The internationalization of care is already well underway, with foreign skilled workers making a major contribution, particularly in view of the acute shortage. In a new publication, the IAB has examined how the employment of these workers has changed in recent years and highlights current developments.

• Employer ranking: Which companies are particularly attractive to young professionals? The Universum Young Professional Survey examines this annually and compiles a ranking based on the responses of almost 9,400 young professionals. The PR Journal summarizes who made it into the top ten this year alongside Siemens, Bosch, and Porsche.

• Companies in Germany: The Federal Statistical Office reports around 13% more insolvency filings in September 2024 than in the previous year. Exact figures and comparative data are available from Die Zeit.

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