Signite's Magazine

The industry trade union IG BCE and the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies are warning of impending competitive disadvantages and a weakening of innovative strength. The most important reason for this is the significant shortage of labour. This applies to laboratories as well as to production halls and research departments in the industry. According […]

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 […]

Time and again, calculations are made to help us look into the future. The Institute for Labour Market and Educational Research (IAB) has calculated in a model how much nursing staff will be needed in the coming years. Among other things, this is intended to create a basis for policy-makers to make the right decisions […]

The number of people in need of long-term care in Germany has continued to rise as expected. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), 4.96 million people in Germany were in need of long-term care at the end of 2021. In December 2019, there were still 4.13 million. The vast majority of these people in […]

If you have decided to work as a physiotherapist, you want to actively help people so that they can live their lives without pain and discomfort. This brings satisfaction and is one of the main reasons for choosing this profession. There is currently a great need for physiotherapists throughout Germany, and there will be an […]

What is in store for you? Anyone who wants to work as a nursing professional in Germany in the future must, in addition to proving their professional competences (through a knowledge test or adaptation course), also take a compulsory language test. This means that a normal B2 language certificate (e.g. from the Goethe Institute or […]

The staffing situation in the care sector is tense. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the gap between the number of nursing staff and demand worldwide is 5.8 million. The WHO forecast for the next five years sees a positive trend, but some issues remain a cause for concern. By 2035, one in five […]

The German federal government has passed key legislation to strengthen and develop nursing care in order to make nursing professions more attractive, combat the shortage of skilled workers and improve medical care. At the heart of the two laws is the introduction of a nationally standardised nursing assistant training programme and comprehensive measures to expand […]

According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 37,400 people successfully completed their training as nursing professionals last year. This was the second graduating class since the introduction of the three-year generalist nursing training programme in 2020 (33,570 in the class of 2023). According to statistics, the vast majority of graduates (99 percent) chose the generalist […]

There is a shortage of educators, social workers, nursing staff and salespeople throughout Germany – and skilled workers in other professions are also becoming increasingly scarce. According to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW), this shortage of skilled workers will increase significantly in the coming years. In 2028, an estimated 768,000 jobs will […]

The German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) has accused hospital employers of not taking enough action against the shortage of nursing staff. There is too often a lack of introduction of more attractive roles for nursing staff and modern, i.e. more flexible working time models. The reform of hospital structures currently being discussed by […]

German hospitals have a massive staffing problem in nursing. Almost every hospital (94%) has vacant nursing positions on general wards that are not filled. Three quarters of intensive care units have vacancies in intensive care. And in two thirds of hospitals with paediatric wards, positions remain unfilled. The figures are the result of a representative […]

The new Immigration Act will make it easier for job seekers and people from the Western Balkans to immigrate to Germany. In this third and final part, we look at the laws that will apply from June 2024. Introduction of the job search opportunity card An opportunity card will be introduced for job-seeking residence. There […]

Staff shortages continue to be one of the biggest problems in Germany. And it will become even more acute in the future. This has a lot to do with the ageing German society. According to a study by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, 5.7 million people in need of care can be […]