Germany recruitment difficulties, reasons and hiring duration, annual
How hard German employers find it to fill a post: the share of new hires that involved recruitment difficulties, the reasons establishments give for them - qualifications, wage demands, working conditions or too few applicants - and the planned, actual and unplanned additional duration of the search, each for Germany, West and East.
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of hires with difficulties1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Germany2 | 30.5 | 36.3 | 41.1 | 44.2 | 37 | 34 | 44 | 44.2 | 42.7 | 36 | 35.8 | 33.9 | 34.4 | 31.7 | 31 | 29.1 | |
| West Germany | 30.6 | 36.8 | 41.9 | 45.4 | 36.2 | 33.7 | 43.2 | 43.7 | 42 | 34.8 | 35.2 | 33.4 | 33 | 31.7 | 32 | 28 | |
| East Germany | 30 | 34.3 | 37.8 | 39.3 | 40.7 | 35.4 | 47.2 | 46.3 | 45 | 41 | 38 | 35.8 | 40.1 | 31.8 | 26.9 | 33.3 | |
| Reasons for the difficulties4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Insufficient qualifications: Germany2 | 18.7 | 21.6 | 24.6 | 23.2 | 19.9 | 18.9 | 24.4 | 23.9 | 23 | 18.3 | 20 | 18.1 | 20.7 | 17.5 | 18.5 | 16.6 | |
| Insufficient qualifications: West Germany | 19.1 | 21.9 | 25.2 | 23.8 | 19.2 | 19.4 | 22.5 | 23.9 | 22.8 | 17.5 | 20 | 17.7 | 20.2 | 17.4 | 19 | 17 | |
| Insufficient qualifications: East Germany | 16.7 | 20.2 | 22.1 | 20.7 | 23.3 | 16.7 | 31.7 | 24 | 23.9 | 21.8 | 20.2 | 19.5 | 22.7 | 18 | 16.5 | 15.2 | |
| Excessive wage demands: Germany2 | 14 | 14.6 | 18.6 | 17 | 15.3 | 13.3 | 15.5 | 15.8 | 15.3 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | |
| Excessive wage demands: West Germany | 14 | 15 | 19.6 | 18.1 | 15.2 | 13.6 | 14.5 | 15.6 | 15.1 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 7.6 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.2 | |
| Excessive wage demands: East Germany | 14 | 12.9 | 14.4 | 12.8 | 15.9 | 11.8 | 19.4 | 16.5 | 16.4 | 12.9 | 14.7 | 13.1 | 15.1 | 9.4 | 7.2 | 9.1 | |
| Working-condition mismatch: Germany2 | 12.5 | 14.5 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12 | 10.1 | 12.6 | 15.2 | 14.7 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 10.7 | 11.3 | 9.5 | 11.5 | 9.5 | |
| Working-condition mismatch: West Germany | 12.1 | 14.5 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 11.5 | 9.6 | 12 | 14.1 | 13.8 | 11.3 | 14.8 | 10.2 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 11.3 | 8.9 | |
| Working-condition mismatch: East Germany | 14.2 | 14.6 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 14.9 | 19.7 | 17.8 | 16.2 | 17.9 | 12.8 | 18.7 | 12.7 | 12.5 | 11.5 | |
| Too few applicants: Germany2 | 18.6 | 25.3 | 31.4 | 35.8 | 28.4 | 22.4 | 31.2 | 32.8 | 31.3 | 23.9 | 22.8 | 21.9 | 22.2 | 21.3 | 17.8 | 14.3 | |
| Too few applicants: West Germany | 18.2 | 25.8 | 32.1 | 36.7 | 27.8 | 21.7 | 31.1 | 32.5 | 30.6 | 23.3 | 22.3 | 21.7 | 20.8 | 21.2 | 18 | 12.6 | |
| Too few applicants: East Germany | 20.4 | 22.8 | 28.5 | 31.9 | 31 | 25.3 | 31.7 | 34.2 | 34.1 | 26.5 | 25 | 23 | 28.2 | 21.7 | 16.8 | 20.3 | |
| Recruitment duration3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Planned duration: Germany2 | 61.3 | 66.1 | 66.6 | 63.1 | 60.4 | 56.9 | 59.8 | 60 | 55.3 | 58.6 | 57.9 | 52.8 | 53.8 | 57.2 | 53.3 | 48.5 | |
| Planned duration: West Germany | 61 | 65.9 | 66.3 | 63.6 | 60.5 | 55.7 | 59.6 | 60.3 | 55.1 | 57.9 | 57.6 | 50.7 | 51.5 | 56.9 | 53.7 | 49.4 | |
| Planned duration: East Germany | 62.7 | 67 | 67.4 | 61.4 | 60.1 | 61.7 | 60.5 | 58.7 | 56.1 | 61.8 | 59.2 | 61.8 | 63.8 | 58.8 | 51.5 | 45.2 | |
| Actual duration: Germany2 | 86.1 | 94.8 | 95.6 | 96.7 | 87.1 | 82.5 | 92.3 | 91.1 | 82.2 | 82 | 84 | 75.2 | 76.8 | 83.7 | 76.8 | 70.4 | |
| Actual duration: West Germany | 86 | 94.5 | 96.4 | 96.7 | 86.7 | 81.6 | 91.3 | 91.8 | 82.5 | 80.4 | 83.8 | 73.1 | 74.7 | 83.4 | 78.3 | 72.6 | |
| Actual duration: East Germany | 86.5 | 95.8 | 92.1 | 96.7 | 88.9 | 86.4 | 95.9 | 88 | 81.3 | 89.3 | 84.9 | 84.4 | 86 | 85 | 70.9 | 63 | |
| Unplanned delay: Germany2 | 24.8 | 28.7 | 29 | 33.5 | 26.7 | 25.6 | 32.5 | 31 | 26.9 | 23.4 | 26.1 | 22.4 | 23 | 26.5 | 23.6 | 22 | |
| Unplanned delay: West Germany | 25.1 | 28.7 | 30.1 | 33.1 | 26.3 | 25.9 | 31.7 | 31.4 | 27.4 | 22.5 | 26.2 | 22.4 | 23.2 | 26.6 | 24.6 | 23.2 | |
| Unplanned delay: East Germany | 23.8 | 28.8 | 24.7 | 35.3 | 28.9 | 24.7 | 35.4 | 29.3 | 25.2 | 27.5 | 25.7 | 22.5 | 22.1 | 26.2 | 19.4 | 17.8 |
Latest reading
The latest reading is 30.5%, for 2025. That is −5.8 pp from 2024. The series on this page is annual and runs from 2010 to 2025. Source: Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency.
- Latest
- 30.5%
- 2025
- vs previous period
- −5.8 pp
- 2024
About this data
How hard German employers find it to fill a post: the share of new hires that involved recruitment difficulties, the reasons establishments give for them - qualifications, wage demands, working conditions or too few applicants - and the planned, actual and unplanned additional duration of the search, each for Germany, West and East. Source: IAB job vacancy survey.
