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 […]

In Germany, the number of trainees in the nursing professions has increased. As the central Federal Statistical Office announced today in Wiesbaden on July 26, around 56,300 people in Germany decided to train as nursing specialists last year. This is five percent more than in the previous year. In total, around 102,00 people were in […]

In future, nursing professionals will be given more competences in the care of patients. What is already part of everyday life in other countries is now also becoming more common in Germany. In future, qualified nurses will be able to care for people more independently and on their own responsibility if they have diabetes or […]

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 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 […]

The Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg announced that in June 2023, almost 1.7 million employees subject to social security contributions were working in nursing care. According to the study, the increase in specialist nursing staff is due exclusively to foreign employees working in Germany. Between 2013 and 2023, the number of foreign employees in […]

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 […]

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 […]