Signite's Magazine

In a nationwide raid, the customs authorities searched for evidence of social security fraud and illegal employment in the care sector. The action was directed against a complex of companies that provide care staff for 24-hour care in private households, according to the public prosecutor’s office in Dortmund and the main customs office in Münster. […]

The shortage of skilled labour is affecting many sectors in Germany. It has now also reached the traditional branch of mechanical engineering. At the start of the new training year, many apprenticeship places remain unfilled. This is because there is a lack of qualified applicants, according to the industry association VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und […]

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office has published new statistics on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications. According to the figures, the number of positive recognition procedures increased from 52,300 in 2022 to 65,300 in 2023 (up 25 per cent). This is 11% more than in the previous year. Compared to 2016, when Destatis recorded the recognition […]

The German government has decided to introduce a new nursing assistant education programme. The aim of the bill is to ensure that nursing assistants in future undergo a nationally standardised, appropriately remunerated training. Because Germany is divided into 16 federal states, which are allowed to have a say in educational matters, the introduction of such […]

The Chamber of Nursing of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has collected comprehensive data on the nursing situation. According to this data, several cities in the state will experience a drastic shortage of nursing professionals. According to the chamber, the cities at particular risk are Coesfeld, Höxter, Kleve, Leverkusen, Minden-Lübbecke, Neuss, Soest, Steinfurt, […]

Those working in nursing now earn good money. In February 2022, the nursing commission agreed on a gradual increase in minimum wages in nursing, as well as additional vacation days, and proposed correspondingly gradually increasing hourly wages. The first increase in the minimum wage for nursing staff in Germany took place on 1 September 2022. […]

The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has presented the Eighth Care Report ‘on the development of long-term care insurance and the state of long-term care in the Federal Republic of Germany’. It covers the years 2020-23, the challenges, progress and initiatives. The shortage of personnel and the increasing number of people in need of care […]

In 2024, significantly more visas were issued in Germany for skilled workers than in the previous year. According to initial projections, the number of visas for employment purposes rose by ten percent year-on-year to around 174,000. If the figures prove to be correct, this would be a new record. With the exception of the coronavirus […]

The German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) wants to use the survey “Nursing, how are you?”to determine how the mood among nurses is developing. According to the DBfK, the online survey is aimed at all professional caregivers and will run until 13 April 2025. It asks about satisfaction with the general conditions of the […]

Despite a significant increase in staffing levels in recent years, the shortage of staff continues to be a major problem for many hospitals in Germany. This is shown by the results of the new 2025 Skilled Labour Monitoring report by the German Hospital Federation (DKG), which is based on a survey of 135 hospitals. Between […]

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of new nursing trainees in 2024 increased by nine percent or 5,100 to around 59,500 across Germany compared to the previous year. However, the number of trainees in nursing has not changed across all three current training years: 147,100 people in 2024, and thus around 200 more […]

The German federal state of Saxony and its institutions are increasingly looking for nursing staff and are also turning their attention to other countries. Health Minister Petra Köpping is now pushing for more speed in the recognition of foreign qualifications. The recognition process should be made easier, faster and more effective: this begins with the […]

Patient advocates and nursing associations in Germany have expressed alarm at the increasing shortage of staff in nursing homes. Christine Vogler, President of the German Nursing Council, emphasised: ‘In many places, nursing care in Germany is no longer guaranteed’.  In inpatient long-term care alone, there is a shortage of around 115,000 full-time professional carers. At […]

Rashid Hamid now has over 300,000 followers on Instagram. It all started with the fact that he wanted to post a few videos from his everyday life as an outpatient carer, showing excerpts from his working day. He hadn’t expected it to go so viral. The success of the “carer with heart and soul” lies […]

Companies active in the building cleaning trade in Germany remain pessimistic about the future. According to a survey by the industry association, business is stagnating for around half of all companies, with a quarter even expecting a slight decline. This is not due to the poor order situation. The biggest obstacle to future growth is […]

In Germany, the statutory minimum wage is the absolute lower limit for the payment of labour. In many sectors, trade unions and employers have agreed on minimum wages that are higher than the statutory minimum wage, in some cases very significantly. We show you the industry minimum wages for some sectors and explain in advance […]