Share of hires with recruitment difficulties in East Germany
Share of hires with recruitment difficulties in East Germany stood at 30% in 2025, according to Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency. It is one of the indicators in the Hiring difficulties table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2010 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Hiring difficulties table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 30.5 | 36.3 | 41.1 | 44.2 | 37 | 34 | 44 | 44.2 | 42.7 | 36 | |
| East Germany | 30 | 34.3 | 37.8 | 39.3 | 40.7 | 35.4 | 47.2 | 46.3 | 45 | 41 | |
| West Germany | 30.6 | 36.8 | 41.9 | 45.4 | 36.2 | 33.7 | 43.2 | 43.7 | 42 | 34.8 |
Understanding share of hires with recruitment difficulties in East Germany
Establishments situated across the eastern federal states provide the reporting base for this indicator, recording how many concluded hires encountered operational search hurdles. Every completed recruitment process within an eastern workplace where the employer faced complications is included. This series diverges from its western counterpart by examining solely eastern workplaces, while the all-Germany total pools both territorial zones. It reflects aggregate hiring friction in the east without breaking down whether the primary challenge was wage negotiations, qualifications, or applicant volume.
Because these figures appear on an annual schedule, calendar shifts and intra-year volatility do not distort the underlying trend. Comparing figures across consecutive years offers a consistent view of regional labor demand absorption and employer search conditions. A common analytical pitfall is interpreting a shift in this rate as a change in eastern unemployment; search friction often reflects qualitative mismatches or localized shortages that coexist with joblessness. Furthermore, potential recalibrations of survey weighting over extended observation periods should be considered when assessing multi-year trajectories.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series cover cross-border recruitment into eastern workplaces?
- Yes, as long as the hiring establishment is based in the eastern federal states, regardless of where the hired candidate originated.
- What separates this indicator from the reasons for difficulties in the same table?
- This metric reports the overall proportion of hires with complications, while the reason sub-categories examine specific drivers behind those complications.
- How should one evaluate differences between this series and the western series?
- Differences reflect distinct workplace-level recruitment conditions in eastern establishments rather than variations in administrative reporting methods.