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HealthGermany

Germany's health-care sector hit by skilled labor shortage

November 16, 2024

Germany stands in urgent need of health-care workers as the population ages, according to a report. Unfilled vacancies for physiotherapists and dental assistants were at a high level in 2023/2024, it says.

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Kneeling physiotherapist before man in wheelchair
Physiotherapists are in high demand in GermanyImage: picture alliance/Zoonar

Some 47,400 positions in Germany's health-care sector were unable to be filled by suitably qualified applicants in 2023/2024, suggesting that this is the area hardest-hit by the country's shortage of skilled labor, a new study has shown.

The problem has been exacerbated by the increased health demands in an aging population, with Germany's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), predicting that the percentage of people aged 65 or older will grow from the current 21% to 29% by 2030.

Growing burden

The study showed that the greatest shortage was that of physiotherapists, with almost 11,600 unfilled vacancies.

The shortfall for dental assistants was 7,350, and 7,100 for health-care and nursing staff, according to the study.

"An aging population leads to an increasing demand for health-care services. This increases the burden on existing skilled labor," according to the authors of the study, carried out by the Competence Centre for Securing Skilled Labour at the German Economic Institute (IW). 

Labor market shortages — MADE

Cross-sector problem

The study by the institute, which is affiliated with employers, also noted an average shortage of more than 530,000 qualified workers across all industries between July 2023 and June 2024.

The second-largest shortfall of skilled labor was in the field of preparatory construction-site work, construction installation and other finishing trades, where there were some 42,000 vacancies.

 Construction electrics looked in vain to fill another 10,350 positions.

tj/lo (dpa, DW sources)

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