The Germany engineering sector is suffering from a shortage of skilled professionals that could dampen the country's recovery.

This is the claim made by companies at the Hanover Fair, an exhibition of industrial products, who believe the sector's competitiveness could be curtailed by a lack of requisite skills and an ageing population, the Financial Times reports.

Member of the ZF Friedrichshafen executive board Michael Paul explained the company is planning to create hundreds of new engineering jobs in Germany over the coming two or three years, but is concerned about how to attract skilled professionals.

The news source also quotes head of the German engineers' association VDI Willi Fuchs as suggesting there was a shortfall of 34,000 engineers in 2009, when sales plummeted, with this figure continuing to rise.

Meanwhile, the creation of a new €35 million fund by the European Commission for businesses addressing environmental challenges could increase demand in the region for engineering professionals.