Signite's Magazine

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 […]

Germany is undergoing major demographic change with increasingly significant implications for the world of work. According to a forecast in the new study ‘Immigration and the Labour Market’ by the Bertelsmann Foundation, without immigration, Germany’s working population would decline by 10 percent by 2040 and by as much as 20 percent by 2060, meaning that […]

Economic downturn or not, the metal and electrical industry in northern Germany is still in great need of skilled labour. Depending on the company, there is currently a shortage of between 10 and 20 per cent of skilled workers. According to a survey by the Nordmetall trade union, around 42,000 skilled workers are currently being […]

Carers employed in public institutions, i.e. those belonging to the state, will receive more money in the first half of 2024. From 1 March, nursing staff employed in public institutions will receive more money. This is the result of the agreement reached in collective bargaining for the public sector at federal and municipal level. Their […]

According to the latest Skilled Labour Report from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), more than 80 percent of German companies fear negative consequences for their economic development due to labour shortages. The labour shortage is already forcing 40% of companies to reduce their own range of services, while others are losing orders, […]

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 […]

The law was passed in 2015. It was to have been implemented from 2020. In 2023, Bavaria was the first to dare to introduce the language test for physiotherapists, among others… But since no other federal state did anything, the introduction of this test, which has long been mandatory for human medicine throughout Germany (at […]

Berlin is introducing a specialised language test for nursing staff with foreign qualifications. This makes it the latest federal state to implement the law, which was passed years ago, albeit with a delay. The specialised language test at B2 level is intended to ensure that the necessary language skills are available to work competently and […]

There are a number of accounts on Instagram that you can use to learn or refresh your knowledge of your nursing profession. You already know everything? Great! Then you can use the posts to improve your German as a foreign nurse. Most of the information is very compact and covers a medical or nursing topic. […]

The number of occupations in short supply in Germany fell slightly in 2023, but remains at a very high level. This is the result of the annual analysis of the shortage of skilled workers by the Federal Employment Agency (BA), which has now been published. Shortages in filling vacancies are evident in 183 of the […]

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 […]