The Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg announced that in June 2023, almost 1.7 million employees subject to social security contributions were working in nursing care. According to the study, the increase in specialist nursing staff is due exclusively to foreign employees working in Germany.

Between 2013 and 2023, the number of foreign employees in the care professions has risen disproportionately. Based on studies conducted in the two years, the growth in employment in care for the elderly is 273 per cent, which corresponds to an increase of almost 87,000 foreign employees. In nursing, an increase of 109,000 foreign employees can be observed. Their employment increased by 256 per cent. In nursing, the proportion of foreign nursing staff increased from 4.9 to 14.5 per cent within ten years. In 2023, the proportion of foreign nursing staff in geriatric nursing was 18.9 per cent, 12 percentage points higher than in 2013.

Last year, there were more foreign nursing staff from non-EU countries working in Germany than from EU countries. Within the EU, nursing staff come mainly from Poland, Croatia and Romania. Nationals from Turkey and Serbia make up a large group among nursing staff from non-EU countries.