Finding Suitable Staff

With a population of more than 45 million people Germany has the largest employment market in Europe. More than 80 percent of the working population have completed a professional training or university studies.

Germany has more than 420 universities and universities of applied sciences, with around 500,000 graduates annually.

Through a combination of on- and off-the-job training in Germany’s so-called dual education system, hiring and training costs are reduced (especially for skilled craftsmen and technicians) and recruitment risks minimized. Vocational colleges closely cooperate with almost 430,000 companies in Germany, ensuring that education always meets specific industry needs.

Companies are supported in various ways during their search for suitable employees. The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) offers professional recruitment services free of charge. It is represented in the municipalities throughout Germany with its job centers.

• Federal Employment Agency

There are also numerous private providers of recruitment services. These companies normally charge the hiring company a fee of no more than two gross monthly salaries of the employee that they procure.

• German Association of Private Employment Agencies (German only)

In addition, companies seeking new personnel usually advertise open positions in newspapers, journals, company websites, or on internet job market websites. Ads for specialists and highly qualified staff are usually placed in national newspapers and professional journals, whereas ads for skilled workers or low-qualification jobs normally appear in local papers.

A wide range of labor-related incentives programs supports the development of a company's pool of employees offering qualification and training measures for new employees. In addition to this, under certain conditions, companies can also be supported by wage subsidies.

Labor-related incentives programs are carried out and adjusted by the local job centers according to investor needs. Please refer to our incentives chapter for more information.