As Germany’s nursing workforce shrinks due to aging, foreign employees are stepping in to fill the gap. With a 273% increase in foreign geriatric care workers over the past decade, international hires are keeping the care system afloat. A recent study highlights the growing reliance on non-German staff to maintain essential services and tackle the escalating nursing shortage.
In June 2023, almost 1.7 million employees subject to social security contributions were working in the care sector. One in six care workers came from abroad. Foreign care workers are thus significantly cushioning the demographically induced decline in the number of German employees.
At the same time, they are helping to ensure that the shortage of nursing staff does not become even more acute and that nursing operations are thus maintained. This is shown in a study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) published on Tuesday.
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Overall employment in the nursing professions has increased by 26 percent between 2013 and 2023. Since 2022, employment growth in nursing has been driven exclusively by foreign employees, while the number of German nursing staff is declining. “Among nursing staff with German citizenship, there are now significantly more older than younger employees. Many of them will reach retirement age in the next few years,” says IAB researcher Holger Seibert.
Between 2013 and 2023, there was a disproportionate increase in the number of foreign employees in nursing professions: in geriatric care, the number rose by 273 percent, which corresponds to an increase of almost 87,000 foreign nationals. There was also an increase of 109,000 foreign employees in nursing care – thus increasing their employment rate by 256 percent. In nursing, the share of foreign nursing staff increased from 4.9 to 14.5 percent within ten years. In 2023, the share of foreign nursing staff in geriatric nursing was 18.9 percent, 12 percentage points higher than in 2013.
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In 2023, there were more foreign nursing staff from non-EU countries working in Germany than from the EU. Within the EU, nursing staff come primarily from Poland, Croatia and Romania. Nationals from Turkey and Serbia, on the other hand, form a large group among nursing staff from third countries. From countries with recruitment agreements, a particularly large number of nursing staff come from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, India, Tunisia and Vietnam.
In view of demographic change, many European countries have a similarly high demand for nursing staff as Germany. German nursing homes are already facing increased international competition for foreign nursing staff and will continue to do so in the future. “In addition to easier immigration rules for workers, the focus will also be on faster professional recognition and greater appreciation of the qualifications and skills that nursing staff from abroad bring with them. In general, we need a better welcoming culture in order to be able to keep new employees in Germany in the long term,” says IAB researcher Doris Wiethölter.
