Signite's Magazine

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 Competence Centre for Securing Skilled Workers, or KOFA for short, is a project commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection that provides advice and support to decision-makers in companies in the form of information and tips. Logically, KOFA encourages the recruitment of personnel from so-called third countries. ‘Looking abroad expands […]

In the first half of this year, more than 80,000 visas were issued to people who want to work in Germany. About half of them are skilled workers. This means that the number has increased by around 5% compared to the previous year. In view of the acute shortage of skilled workers, major German business […]

The number of people in need of care in Germany has risen much more sharply in recent years than the number of people employed in the care sector. It is also taking longer and longer for vacancies in hospitals and nursing homes to be filled, while at the same time unemployment among nurses and care […]

The renowned Bertelsmann Foundation has published a new study according to which Germany needs hundreds of thousands of immigrants per year to meet its labour needs in the coming decades. Around 280,000 international workers would have to start each year until 2040 in order to prevent the potential of the labour force from collapsing. The […]

A major reform is to create a new basis for hospital care in Germany. The Bundestag (lower house of parliament) was followed today by the Bundesrat (upper house representing the federal states) in approving the reform. A number of hospitals have experienced financial problems in the recent past, partly due to the previous system, and […]

The federal state of Brandenburg has launched a digital platform to facilitate the recruitment and integration of international nursing professionals. The online portal ‘Working in Nursing’ offers comprehensive information for professional nursing staff from abroad. The platform offers advice and support as well as practical assistance on topics such as entry, work permits and German […]

Good news: the German parliament, known as the Bundestag, passed a law on May 19 to pay a bonus for nursing staff in hospitals and care facilities. It is about 500 million euros each, which will be made available for hospitals as well as care facilities. These will then be paid to the nursing staff. […]

As of 1 April, the minimum nursing wages have risen slightly. Unskilled nursing assistants now receive a minimum wage of 12.55 euros instead of 12.00 euros per hour. Qualified assistants are now paid a minimum wage of 13.20 euros (previously 12.50 euros). Skilled nursing staff now receive a minimum of 15.40 euros instead of 15.00 […]

A nursing home in Hesse is allowed to release two employees who have not been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 from work. This was the decision of the local labour court in a summary proceeding. On 12 April, the competent court had rejected the applications of a residential area manager and a nursing specialist for employment with […]

This is the very first news from Signite. In the future, interesting, important and sometimes funny things will be published here at irregular intervals – above all, but not only for nurses. We want to keep you informed and up to date about things you might not otherwise notice: because you don’t yet surf German […]

The new German government has also brought about a change in personnel at the Ministry of Health. Nina Warken took over from Karl Lauterbach as Federal Minister of Health last week. She is calling for more powers and better working conditions for nursing staff. She believes it is important to tailor tasks more closely to […]

The health and education company SRH has conducted a representative survey which found that 96% of working people in Germany consider healthcare and nursing to be essential. However, most are unaware of the extensive career prospects in this field. Meaningful work, but little knowledge about specialisations and career opportunities: those who decide to train as […]

According to the Federal Statistical Office, people working in healthcare and nursing professions earned significantly more last year than they did ten years ago. Full-time employees in this sector earned an average of €4,048 gross in April 2024, excluding special payments, compared with €2,829 gross in 2014. This means that the increase in earnings is […]

The shortage of skilled workers in key professions involved in the energy transition is becoming increasingly acute. Craft and technical professions, which are essential for the expansion of renewable energies, are particularly affected. This is the result of a study by the Competence Centre for Securing Skilled Workers (Kofa) at the employer-friendly German Economic Institute […]