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Nursing crisis in Germany: Skilled labor shortage threatens care!
Care in the EU faces challenges: Skilled labor shortages, working conditions and the need for reform are analyzed in the Care4Care project.
Nursing crisis in Germany: Skilled labor shortage threatens care!
On April 7, 2025, it will become clear that the care industry in many EU countries, including Germany, is facing a crisis. Stressful working conditions and an acute shortage of skilled workers endanger the quality of care. A current policy paper, published as part of the Care4Care research project, highlights the urgently needed measures taken by international researchers, including Prof. Dr. Eva Kocher and Dr. Ziga Podgornik-Jakil from the European University Viadrina. The project covers six European countries and has a budget of 2.7 million euros. The core demands of the paper concern, among other things, better prevention of physical and psychosocial stress as well as regulated qualification and advancement opportunities in the nursing profession. European University reports on the deficits in the area of labor migration, which require more than just recruitment programs.
An important statement from Prof. Dr. Kocher is the need for recognition of foreign qualifications and support in the integration of nursing staff. This includes, among other things, the provision of financed language courses during working hours. The focus on health risks in nursing professions, such as physical exertion and psychosocial burdens caused by stress, violence and harassment, is viewed as particularly urgent. In order to improve working conditions, enforcement of existing requirements for working and rest times as well as regulation and compliance with childcare ratios is required. Live-in care in particular, in which the nursing staff lives in the household of the person being cared for, requires clearer regulation of employment relationships. Many of these workers are women over 50 and are heavily dependent on the person they care for.
Shortage of skilled workers and increasing need for care in Germany
The need for care in Germany is increasing every year and has reached an increase of 361,000 people in need of care in 2022. Forecasts assume that the number will increase to around 6 million by 2040 and that the number of people in need of care could even reach 6.5 million by 2050. This development is reinforced by demographic change, as the number of people over 80 could rise to 9.1 million by 2050. Nevertheless, current studies show an alarming situation: four out of five care facilities in Germany had to limit their offerings due to a lack of staff. Deutschlandfunk reports that 72% of nursing homes cannot provide all services. In addition, there are currently 115,000 positions unfilled in the nursing sector.
The federal government is actively trying to recruit foreign nursing staff. In 2022, 244,000 foreign nursing staff worked in Germany, but the processes to fill new positions take an average of 230 days. The initiative for sustainable and generation-appropriate care reform estimates that over 191,000 additional nursing staff will be needed by 2040. In addition, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach considers a nursing reform to be urgent, but sees no chance of implementation in the current legislative period.
Strategies to Improve the Care Industry
The current situation requires immediate measures to make the profession more attractive. Improved working conditions, higher salaries and recognition campaigns to improve the professional image are crucial. In addition, the need for technological solutions to increase efficiency in the care sector is highlighted. Care Marketplace highlights that the shortage of skilled workers not only affects the quality of care, but also leads to longer waiting times for patients. Long-term collaboration between all those involved is essential in order to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in care.