Germany does certainly have a stable healthcare system, yet there is a greater demand than ever for professionals. Hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities are always on the lookout for caregivers with a variety of skill levels to meet the growing needs in the healthcare and nursing professions. Nationwide there are currently 40,000 vacancies and demographic transformation means that this shortfall is likely to grow over the coming years.

In September 2022, the Kompetenzzentrum Fachkräftesicherung (KOFA, a skills centre for securing skilled professionals) that acts on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to support small and medium enterprises with personnel recruitment, recorded the highest vacancy rate in the health, social services, teaching and education sector: 57.8 per cent. This means that substantially more than half of the vacancies in this sector could not be filled with suitably qualified personnel. ‘We’ve been aware of the shortage of professionals in care and education since Make it in Germany has existed’, says Kerstin Krey. There’s no doubt that it’s also necessary to speak with experts from abroad and attract them to come and work in this sector in Germany. ‘Yet at the same time the principles of ethical recruitment in healthcare mustn’t be violated.’ This is where international treaties and agreements, such as those being sought by the Federal Employment Agency or the Ministry of Health, can be beneficial.

There’s an urgent need in Germany for newly qualified physicians. In the field of general practitioners, there’s a shortage of family doctors in particular. But there’s also an urgent need for additional medical practitioners in hospitals, clinics, health centres, medical research institutions and elderly care or nursing facilities. Medical practitioners in Germany generally attract the highest average income of all academic disciplines.

There are currently a growing number of vacancies for engineers involved in research and development (R&D). Other job opportunities are available to well-trained specialists in the sectors relating to automation technology, construction planning and architecture, automotive, electric mobility and autonomous driving, renewable energy and environmental protection, and artificial intelligence (AI). KOFA reports that engineering occupations in the renewable energy technology sector were among the top five occupations with the largest growth in vacancies in the third quarter of 2022.

The IT sector is one of the most innovative professions; and with annual revenues of 178 billion euros it is also the driving force behind the German economy. IT specialists in particular are therefore in greater demand than ever in Germany. There are currently more than 96,000 vacancies. Software developers especially can expect in small, medium and large companies. High demand is also recorded for specialists involved in application support, IT security and data science.

The wide range of job opportunities in Germany for natural scientists and mathematicians is equally extensive. In addition to the traditional jobs in teaching, research and business management, professionals are also sought in the IT industry, in marketing and sales, in administration and law, and in the financial sector. The sectors currently indicating the greatest demand are biotechnology, chemistry, energy and environmental technology, medical technology, pharmacy and physics. Research posts and earnings are even available as a doctoral candidate if a research community or a company financially supports a dissertation or if the researchers receive a scholarship from a higher education institution or research society.

The crafts trades are considered to be future-proof and to offer attractive opportunities for advancement, for example through professional development and occupational self-employment as a master craftswoman or master craftsman. The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts is however reporting that there is a shortfall of 250,000 professionals in this sector. There is a specific shortage of qualified personnel in the following professions: plumbers, equipment mechanics in sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology, floor layers, electrical engineers specialising in energy technology, building cleaners. General construction is also reporting a high number of vacancies. ‘The massive shortages in the crafts trades is a major issue. The expansion of renewable energies being promoted by the government will be difficult to achieve if there’s a lack of engineers who can install photovoltaic systems or heat pumps’, states Kerstin Krey.