Finding Suitable Staff

• Workforce in Germany
• Recruitment Services
• Public Support

Workforce in Germany

Germany’s well-educated and trained workforce includes a population of more than 43 million. More than 86 percent of the German workforce has successfully completed an upper secondary program at the very least. Dual programs in vocational education and training are of particular importance. Each year, more than 500,000 students graduate from university courses. Graduates in the natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, information and communication technologies, engineering, manufacturing, and construction alone represent 37 percent of the academic population.

Recruitment Services      

In Germany, a wide array of public and private agencies supports both domestic and foreign companies in finding suitable staff. The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) provides a highly professional service to meet supply and demand. The agency, which can be found in all municipalities in Germany, provides its services free of charge. Additionally, the Federal Government’s official Make it in Germany information portal assists employers in recruiting qualified professionals from abroad and foreign nationals in moving to Germany.

Private recruitment agencies – typically members of the Federal Employers’ Association of Personnel Service Providers (Bundesarbeitgeberverband der Personaldienstleister e.V.) - are also available. These agencies normally charge the hiring company –but under no circumstances the employee - for providing their recruitment services. This fee does not generally exceed an amount of around two gross monthly salaries of the respective employee.

Companies looking for personnel can also advertise their open positons in newspapers and journals or on company websites and online job platforms. Local newspapers are essential in finding unskilled or semi-skilled labor. However, sourcing skilled labor usually requires some form of advertising in national newspapers and professional journals or online.

Public Support

In Germany, a broad range of labor-related incentives helps in the development of qualified staff. Under certain conditions, even wage subsidies administered by the Federal Employment Agency can be disbursed. Please refer to Incentives for more information. 

• Employees and Social Security