Germany is facing a serious shortage of healthcare workers, as the number of people needing care has almost doubled in recent years, while the number of healthcare providers has increased relatively slowly.
The information, provided by the Ministry of Labour, came in response to a question from far-right MP René Springer of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and was made available to dpa.
Many people who work in the healthcare sector are immigrants and the AfD wants to sharply restrict immigration. The Expert Council on Integration and Migration estimated that by 2022, approximately 30% of the elderly care workforce had an immigration background.
Data from the Ministry of Labor shows that 2.9 million people needed care in Germany in 2015 – but by the end of 2023 this number had risen to 5.6 million. the social security system increased from about 1.5 million to only about 1.85 million or about 23%.
The data also showed that it is taking longer and longer to fill vacancies in hospitals and nursing homes, despite a rise in unemployment among nurses and care workers.
According to the Federal Labor Office, approximately 34,000 vacancies in healthcare were reported in October. On average, it now takes three-quarters of a year (269 days) to fill a vacancy in hospital care. In 2015 this was 136 days.
In elderly care it took even longer in October: 296 days, while in 2015 the vacancies were only open for half as long on average (152 days). In 2023 the numbers were even worse than this.
60,000 unemployed nurses and caregivers
As recruitment of staff in hospitals and nursing homes becomes increasingly difficult, the number of unemployed registered healthcare workers is also increasing.
In elderly care, there were almost 40,000 unemployed care workers in 2023, 5,000 more than in 2015. In hospital care, the number increased by 8,000 to 20,000.
Referring to the significantly increased share of unemployed foreigners in the sector, the AfD’s Springer criticized the government’s skilled labor strategy.
He argued: “Instead of foraging in foreign labor markets, the existing potential in our own country must finally be activated.”
The figures from the Ministry of Labor made no distinction between people with or without a migration background.
