“The nursing sector is suffering from a serious shortage of skilled workers which is getting worse from the demographic perspective all the time. The nursing industry would collapse without foreign nurses, as almost one in four nurses working in old people’s homes have a nationality other than German. The Federal Employment Agency has also provided new funding for 7,700 further training courses in nursing last year alone,” explained Vanessa Ahuja, International Director of the Federal Employment Agency on the occasion of Nurses Day on 12th May.
Increase in employment largely through foreign workers
Over the past ten years, the number of people employed in the nursing occupations has increased by 22 percent – reaching a total of 1.72 million. Recruiting new staff for nursing remains more difficult than average, as shown by the analysis of worker shortages by the Federal Employment Agency.
Over the past ten years, employment in nursing has increased by much more than average. The nursing sector is increasingly dependent on foreign workers to meet the demand for skilled workers. The increase has been driven exclusively by foreign nurses for three years in a row. The proportion of foreign workers in nursing professions is now 18 percent. From June 2023 to June 2024 alone, the number of nurses who have a foreign nationality increased by 27,000.
Foreign workers are gaining in importance
Fewer and fewer nurses are coming to Germany to work from the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Last year, their number increased by only 3,000. Employers have therefore been looking for staff outside the European Union for some time.
At present, many of the employees are migrating to Germany for work through the Skilled Immigration Act. In 2024 alone, the number of nursing staff who secured a residence permit and a work permit increased by 13,000. The Federal Employment Agency supports employers with the recruitment of skilled workers from abroad.
Another focus point is the “Triple Win” programme. Together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Federal Employment Agency works with Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, Tunisia, Indonesia, India and Jordan. According to the latest figures, 10,000 additional nursing staff from the countries in this programme are now working in hospitals, old people’s homes and outpatient care. Overall, the number of nurses employed in Germany who originate from one of the Triple Win countries according to their nationality currently stands at 52,000.
Nurses also have also been arriving in Germany to work within the scope of the Western Balkans Regulation. In 2024, their number increased by 4,000. Since the scheme was launched in 2015, the number of nursing staff from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia has increased almost fivefold to 51,000.
High proportion of part-time work for both women and men
In addition to nursing staff from foreign countries, reducing the proportion of part-time staff could help cover the need for skilled workers. In 2024, approximately half of all nursing staff were working in part-time roles – compared with around a third of all employees. This is not solely attributable to the high proportion of women at 82 percent. Of the men employed in nursing, almost one in three also works part-time. The proportion of part-time employees is 13 percent for all men in roles subject to social security contributions.
Further information is available in the report of the Federal Employment Agency on the labour market situation for the nursing sector: “Arbeitsmarktsituation im Pflegebereich” (currently only available in German).