Signite's Magazine

Germans love abbreviations. And they need them too. Because they also love long, complex, unwieldy names – especially when it comes to laws. That’s why the new Nursing Competence Act is also called the ‘Act on the Expansion of Powers and Debureaucratisation in Nursing’, abbreviated to BEEP. The Bundesrat, the representative body of the federal […]

For nursing staff, the minimum wage, i.e. the minimum salary, is to be increased in two further steps. From July 2026, the minimum wage for unskilled nursing assistants from the current €16.10 to €16.52 per hour, rising to €16.95 a year later; qualified nursing assistants with at least one year of training will see their […]

The German Bundestag has passed a law to expand the powers of nursing staff and reduce bureaucracy in the nursing care sector. Nursing staff will be given significantly more powers and bureaucracy in nursing care is to be reduced. In future, nursing staff will also be allowed to carry out certain medical treatments on their […]

The German Parliament has passed a law introducing standardised training for nursing assistants throughout Germany. The aim is to modernise nursing care and secure long-term staffing needs. The Nursing Assistant Introduction Act – a typically long German word construction – creates an independent, nationally uniform professional profile that replaces the previous 27 nursing assistant and […]

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 government of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg has agreed to set up a state agency for the immigration of skilled workers (LZF), which will also take on coordination and counselling tasks. As part of this reform, there will also be a central immigration authority for foreign skilled workers, replacing the 137 local immigration authorities […]

Since 1 March, the new Immigration Act for Germany has made it possible for future skilled workers to obtain a visa without a notice of deficiency. We explain exactly how this works here. Since the beginning of this month, applications for a work visa can also be submitted without a decision on deficits. Even with […]

The energy transition, i.e. the switch in energy generation from fossil fuels (e.g. coal) to sustainable energy sources (solar panels, wind turbines) and electric cars, is increasing the demand for well-trained skilled workers in the industry. In addition, an above-average number of people in Germany will be retiring in the coming years. There are currently […]

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 […]

Those working in nursing now earn good money. In February 2022, the nursing commission agreed on a gradual increase in minimum wages in nursing, as well as additional vacation days, and proposed correspondingly gradually increasing hourly wages. The first increase in the minimum wage for nursing staff in Germany took place on 1 September 2022. […]

The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has presented the Eighth Care Report ‘on the development of long-term care insurance and the state of long-term care in the Federal Republic of Germany’. It covers the years 2020-23, the challenges, progress and initiatives. The shortage of personnel and the increasing number of people in need of care […]

In 2024, significantly more visas were issued in Germany for skilled workers than in the previous year. According to initial projections, the number of visas for employment purposes rose by ten percent year-on-year to around 174,000. If the figures prove to be correct, this would be a new record. With the exception of the coronavirus […]

The Federal Cabinet approved the draft of the Nursing Competence Act yesterday, Wednesday. The aim of the act is to involve specialist nursing staff more closely in patient care and to make better use of their skills. This would enhance the status of their work and motivate them. In addition, doctors would be relieved of […]