Germany

Germany is a country of 83.5 million people with an employment rate well above the EU average: 81.1% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).

Unemployment has risen slowly in recent years – from 3.1% in 2022 to 3.8% in 2025 – but it is still far below the EU average of 6.0%. Young people have good chances too: youth unemployment (15–24) is 7.1%, less than half the EU rate of 15.2%.

As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a visa or a work permit – a valid passport or ID card is enough to move, look for work and start a job. For most jobs you will need German: employers expect applications in German, and you may have to translate your certificates.

The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) checks every year which occupations are short of skilled workers. In its analysis for 2025 it found 157 shortage occupations (163 in 2024). About half of all vacancies reported to the BA were in these occupations. The biggest shortages are in:

• care and health – nursing and other health professions,
• construction and skilled trades,
• cooks and professional drivers,
• early childhood educators (Erzieherinnen und Erzieher),
• newly on the list: surveying technicians and social work.

Good to know if you work in IT: in 2025 the BA no longer found a shortage in software development, IT sales or metal cutting – so competition for these jobs is stronger than a few years ago.

The EURES report on labour shortages for 2025 also lists, for Germany, occupations such as accountants, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, bakers, building electricians and carpenters and joiners. In summer, agriculture hires seasonal harvest workers – German labour law, including paid holiday, applies to them too.

Start with the official portals:

• Jobsuche – the job search of the Federal Employment Agency, one of the biggest job boards in Germany, with full-time, part-time and mini-jobs and apprenticeships,
• EURES – the EU job portal, plus EURES advisers in your home country and in Germany,
• Make it in Germany – the federal government’s portal for skilled workers from abroad,
• service.bund.de – vacancies in the public service, Germany’s largest employer with around 5.1 million staff.

Most applications are sent online – by email or through the employer’s own form. If you email it, put everything into one PDF file (max. 2 MB). Speculative applications – to companies that have not advertised a job – are common in Germany and worth trying.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

A complete German application (Bewerbung) usually contains:

• a cover letter – no longer than one A4 page,
• a CV in table form (tabellarischer Lebenslauf) – in reverse chronological order, at most two pages, with contact details, work experience, education and language skills; the Europass format is recommended,
• copies of your certificates and references – work references (Arbeitszeugnisse) are customary in Germany; you may need German translations,
• a photo with a neutral background – still common in German applications.

The interview: learn about the company beforehand and be ready to explain why you chose this occupation and this employer.

Diplomas: for regulated professions (e.g. nurses, doctors, teachers) you need formal recognition. The federal portal Recognition in Germany has a Recognition Finder that shows which authority is responsible for your profession, and a hotline.

• Minimum wage: €13.90 gross an hour since 1 January 2026. It will rise to €14.60 on 1 January 2027.
• Collective agreements (Tarifverträge) between unions and employers set pay and conditions in many sectors – often better than the legal minimum.
• Working time: a normal full-time week is 38 to 40 hours. By law you may work up to 8 hours a working day – up to 10 hours only if the average over six calendar months (or 24 weeks) stays at 8 hours.
• Breaks and rest: you may not work more than six hours without a break; a working day of more than six hours needs at least 30 minutes of breaks. Between two working days you get at least 11 hours of rest. Sunday is, as a rule, a day off.
• Holidays: at least 24 working days of paid leave a year by law, counted on a six-day week – that is 20 days if you work five days a week; collective agreements and contracts often give more.
• Contract: a written employment contract is the standard. Under the Proof of Employment Act (Nachweisgesetz) the employer must give you the main working conditions in writing no later than one month after you start.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland can work in Germany without a permit, just like Germans.

• Mini-job: if you earn no more than €603 a month (up to €7,236 a year, 2026), it is a mini-job with lower deductions. You pay a small pension contribution, but you can opt out.
• Working student (Werkstudent): to avoid paying the social security contributions of a regular employee, you may work no more than 20 hours a week during term time. During semester breaks, at weekends and at night you may work more.
• Compulsory internship (Pflichtpraktikum – required by your study regulations): the minimum wage does not apply.
• Voluntary internship longer than three months: it must be paid at least the minimum wage.

Students from outside the EU may work up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or up to 20 hours a week during lecture periods, without approval from the Federal Employment Agency. Jobs as a student assistant at a university are not limited.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Germany – practical information.

1. Register your address (Anmeldung) at the residents’ registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt or Bürgeramt) within 2 weeks of moving in. You get a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) as proof of your address. As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you need no visa or residence permit.
2. Tax ID (steuerliche Identifikationsnummer): it is assigned automatically when you register your address and sent to you by post. Your employer needs it to deduct income tax.
3. Social security number (Versicherungsnummer): you get it automatically – the pension insurance issues it when you start your first job in Germany.
4. Health insurance: you need valid health insurance from the first day of your stay. Employees must be insured; most join a statutory health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) and get an electronic health card.
5. Tax: income tax is deducted from your salary. In 2026 the basic tax-free allowance (Grundfreibetrag) is €12,348 a year.
6. Bank account: you can open one only once you have a permanent address in Germany.

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a visa or residence permit to work in Germany. The main routes:

• Graduates of German universities can stay up to 18 months to look for a job that matches their qualification – and may take any job in the meantime. This permit cannot be extended.
• EU Blue Card – for people with a university degree and a job offer of at least six months paying at least €50,700 gross a year (2026), or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations and for graduates within three years of finishing their studies. It is valid for up to four years.
• Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) – lets you look for a skilled job in Germany for up to one year. Meanwhile you can work up to 20 hours a week and try out jobs for up to two weeks per employer. You must show at least €1,091 net a month (2026).
• Skilled workers with recognised vocational training can get a residence permit to work in any job they are qualified for.

All routes, checks and application steps are explained on the federal government portal make-it-in-germany.com.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Germany,
• Federal Employment Agency – shortage analysis 2025, Jobsuche, Seasonal work in Germany (holiday entitlement),
• Federal Ministry of Labour – minimum wage; Federal Government – minimum wage 2026 and 2027,
• Federal Ministry of Justice – Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz),
• Minijob-Zentrale – mini-job earnings limit 2026,
• Federal Ministry of Finance – tax changes 2026; Federal Central Tax Office – tax identification number,
• German Pension Insurance – social security number,
• Make it in Germany – EU Blue Card, Opportunity Card, prospects after graduation, working while studying, checklist for EU/EEA citizens,
• BIBB – Recognition in Germany,
• EURES – report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025 (annex),
• Your Europe – working abroad.

Updated: October 2026.