Signite's Magazine

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 […]

Collectively agreed salaries for trainees are rising. Thanks to a 6.4 percent increase in collectively agreed training allowances in the current 2024/25 training year, there are now only a few sectors in which trainees receive less than €1,000 per month in their first year under the collective agreement. According to the results of a recent […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 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 […]