Digitalization in the skilled trades made easy 🚀

Bitkom study 2025: how digital the skilled trades are - and why small steps are decisive

The latest bitkom study on digitalization in the skilled trades shows that 72 % of trades businesses say: we have no time for digitalization. The order books are full, the phone is ringing, the paperwork chaos is growing – there is no room left for new processes. And yet many of them can feel it: things cannot carry on like this.

Die wichtigsten Fragen im Überblick

What benefits does digitalization bring in the skilled trades?

Digitalization saves time, improves communication and makes businesses more attractive to skilled workers and apprentices.

Why do trades businesses hesitate over digitalization?

Time, budget and digital skills are often missing. Many businesses also worry about data security and high investment costs.

How can small businesses get started with digitalization?

With simple tools like clockin that work without a long learning curve. That way time tracking and project documentation can be digitalized quickly.

Digitalization in the skilled trades is not a luxury

The Bitkom study shows: for 9 out of 10 businesses, digitalization is more of an opportunity than a risk. It can.

make work organisation more flexible
save time
raise your visibility with customers.

Anyone who does not act now risks falling behind in the long run – especially in the competition for young talent.

Why businesses hesitate over digitalization in the skilled trades

The obstacles are real:

High costs: 69 % see investment as a barrier
Security concerns: 96 % fear for their data
Lack of digital skills: 58 % of employees are not digitally minded
Too little time: 72 % are stuck in day-to-day business

And the market is not exactly helping: many software solutions are complex, expensive and geared more towards large companies.

Apprentices as drivers of digitalization in the skilled trades

But there is hope: more than half of all businesses already draw on the digital knowledge of their apprentices today. Many are modernising their training and actively recruiting young talent through social media.

That shows: digitalization works in small steps too – as long as it fits the business.

Simple digitalization instead of a mammoth project

That is exactly where the key lies: digital solutions have to be simple. They have to fit into the working day without a big IT project, expensive hardware or months of getting up to speed.

clockin: digitalization for the skilled trades that simply fits

clockin was built for exactly that:

Quick start: ready to use in a few minutes
Intuitive to use: no training needed
Mobile: runs on any smartphone

That lets trades businesses track hours, document projects and manage absences – without paperwork chaos and without overloading the resources they are already short of.

“After 16 seconds it was clear to me how it works. We also have an older employee, 75 years old. It took him two minutes to find his way around.” Bene, metalworker, KAWENTSMANN

And the best part: with our savings calculator you can see straight away how much time and money your business saves through digital time tracking and project documentation. Simply enter the size of your team and find out in a few seconds how big your potential is.

Find out more about clockin