Short answer: Germany still has a documented shortage of qualified nursing professionals. Two figures circulate widely: “150,000 vacancies now” and a nationwide “200-day vacancy duration”. Do not use either one without a matching official dataset and definition. The most recent Federal Employment Agency releases give a more defensible picture. Employment grows, foreign workers drive that growth, and unemployment among qualified nursing professionals stays very low.
Key figures at a glance
| Figure | Value | What it measures | Source, year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care employment | 1.76 million | Employees in care professions subject to social insurance | Federal Employment Agency, May 2026 |
| Foreign-national share | ~20% | Care workers with a foreign nationality | Federal Employment Agency, 2025 data |
| Ten-year employment growth | 22% | Growth in care employment over ten years | Federal Employment Agency, May 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.1% | Occupation-specific rate for qualified nursing professionals | Federal Employment Agency, 2025 data |
| Registered vacancies | ~31,000 | Average registered care vacancies | Federal Employment Agency, 2025 data |
| Growth driver | Foreign workers | Carried all care employment growth since 2022 | Federal Employment Agency, 2025 data |
Each figure has a narrow definition. The sections below give the definitions and the links. If you quote a number, quote its definition with it.
One common question has no official answer in this dataset: a ranking of German cities by nursing shortage. The Federal Employment Agency reports shortage indicators by occupation and by region, not as a single city ranking. Treat any "top 10 cities" list as editorial, not official.
The latest official figures
The Federal Employment Agency’s May 2026 release reports:
- 1.76 million employees in care professions subject to social insurance;
- employment growth of 22% over ten years; and
- almost one in five care workers with a foreign nationality.
A related 2026 regional release summarising the national data states that the foreign-national share reached 20% in 2025. It also states that foreign workers carried all employment growth in care since 2022. The same release reports a 1.1% occupation-specific unemployment rate for qualified nursing professionals, and around 31,000 registered care vacancies on average in 2025.
These figures describe different populations and different measures. “Registered vacancies” does not mean every unfilled position in the economy. “Foreign nationality” does not mean “foreign-born.” Keep those definitions intact, and the analysis stays trustworthy.
What the data means
The official reporting supports three conclusions:
- Qualified nursing remains a shortage occupation. Low unemployment among qualified professionals and persistent registered vacancies point in the same direction.
- International recruitment is structurally important. Recent employment growth would have been weaker without foreign workers.
- Demand does not remove the licensing requirements. Nursing is a regulated profession. Your overseas qualification, your language evidence and your licence to practise still have to meet the authority’s requirements.
What the data does not promise
A national shortage does not guarantee an individual applicant:
- recognition of a particular qualification;
- acceptance of a particular language certificate;
- a visa or residence permit;
- a job in a preferred city; or
- a fixed processing time.
Those outcomes depend on the qualification, the federal state, the authority, the employer and the immigration route. Start with the government’s nursing and care professionals guidance for those requirements.
What a foreign applicant can act on
- Use the Recognition Finder for your intended federal state before you pay an intermediary.
- Get the authority’s document list and its accepted language evidence in writing.
- Prepare your German and your recognition documents in parallel, where the authority permits it.
- Treat recruiter timelines and salary promises as commercial claims until an employment contract and an official procedure confirm them.
Our step-by-step nursing recognition guide separates the official process from exam preparation. soruLab provides language practice. It is not a recruitment or recognition agency.
Official sources
- Federal Employment Agency: Day of Care 2026
- Federal Employment Agency: 2025 nursing employment, unemployment and vacancies
- Federal Employment Agency statistical report: labour-market situation in care
- Make it in Germany: official requirements for nursing professionals from abroad
This article interprets published labour-market aggregates; it does not predict an individual recognition, immigration or employment outcome.