Foreign skilled workers drive employment growth in information and communication technology

Around 1.52 million skilled workers were employed in IT, information and communication technology (ICT) professions in Germany last year – an increase of 4 percent over the previous year.

27 Jun 2025 | Press release no.29

Foreign skilled workers account for a high proportion of employment growth

The increase is primarily attributable to employment subject to social insurance contributions, which has risen by 70 percent (+463,000 people) since 2014. Foreign skilled workers account for a significant proportion of this growth: In 2024, 165,000 ICT specialists were not German citizens. That is 15 percent of all employees subject to social insurance contributions in ICT professions. Compared to 2014 (45,000 people), the number of foreign employees here has more than tripled. The largest increase was among employees from India, the eight countries with the highest number of asylum seekers, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Among foreign ICT professionals, around 15,000 in 2024 were nationals of one of the countries of origin with the highest number of asylum seekers. The majority came from Iran (5,000), Pakistan (4,000) and Syria (3,000).

The labour market for ICT professionals remains dynamic

While employment figures are rising, there is currently a decline in the number of jobs being advertised. This trend is a result of the current economic downturn and industry-specific structural changes. The demand for labour has slowed noticeably. This is clearly illustrated by the number of new job vacancies: At around 44,000, they were 24 percent lower in 2024 than in the previous year. The majority of the job vacancies were aimed at experts with qualifications equivalent to at least four years of study. Nevertheless, demand for ICT specialists remains high, as measured by the number of jobs reported in 2024. In software development, for example, there has been a shortage of skilled workers for years.

"Professions in computer science, information and communication technology are undergoing enormous change, and with it the requirements for employees in these fields," explains Andrea Nahles, Chairwoman of the Federal Employment Agency "Continuous further training is therefore becoming increasingly important. The field is generally characterised by a high rate of innovation, with rapid developments particularly evident in the area of AI. For ICT professionals, this means that they need a high degree of adaptability in order to quickly acquire new skills. Personally, I would like to see women, who unfortunately still make up only 18 percent of the workforce in the ICT sector, become more enthusiastic about training or studying in this field

Young talent: Considerable interest in degree programmes and training, but women still underrepresented

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of students studying computer science has risen steadily. In the academic year 2023/2024, the field of computer science enrolled a good 258,000 students, an increase of 42 percent compared to 2013. The number of new entrants to the profession is likely to continue to rise in the coming years, as student numbers have been growing steadily since 2008. The proportion of women in the 2023/2024 winter semester was 22 percent, 3 percentage points higher than in 2013/2014. At the same time, according to the Federal Institute for Vocational Training, 2024 almost 20,000 new dual training contracts were concluded, half as many again as 10 years ago. The current proportion of female ICT trainees is still very low at 12 percent.  
The latest publication on the labour market for ICT professions can be found in the report Labour Market Compact | June 2025 (available in German).