Germany’s Caregiver Shortage: Why Malaysian Agencies Should Pay Attention

Germany Market AccessHealthcare Workforce & Recruitment
Written By Rafika Hassan

An Ageing Society, Accelerating Demand

Germany is entering a period of rapid demographic ageing. By the mid-2030s, roughly one in four Germans will be over 67, with more than 20 million people of pension age by 2038. This shift is already placing visible strain on the country’s healthcare and long-term care systems.

In 2024, over 23% of Germany’s population was aged 65 or older, while the number of people aged 80+ continues to rise. The practical implication is clear: demand for nurses, caregivers, and support staff is increasing faster than the system can absorb.

A Structural Workforce Shortage

Germany’s care labour market is defined by shortage, not fluctuation. In 2023, the Federal Employment Agency recorded around 35,000 unfilled nursing vacancies. Broader estimates place the healthcare workforce gap at more than 47,000 skilled workers, with caregiving and nursing roles most affected.

Long-term studies suggest this imbalance is structural. Care needs will continue to grow, while domestic labour supply remains constrained, with significant variation between regions and federal states.

Regional Reality: Saxony

Saxony illustrates how this challenge plays out locally. Projections indicate that by 2035, staffing needs in stationary care will increase by over 30%, with ambulant care rising by more than 20%. Care facilities are already struggling to maintain staffing levels, even before future demand fully materialises.

International Recruitment as a Necessity

Germany has increasingly turned to international recruitment to stabilise its care workforce. Programmes such as the “Triple Win” initiative have placed non-EU nursing staff into German facilities for over a decade, reflecting a broader policy consensus: immigration is essential to sustaining the healthcare system.

Health and care professions consistently appear among Germany’s critical bottleneck occupations.

Implications for Malaysian Agencies

For Malaysian agencies, Germany represents a long-term opportunity—but one governed by strict requirements. Qualification recognition, language standards, ethical recruitment rules, and documentation quality are non-negotiable.

Agencies that approach Germany without a clear understanding of these expectations often encounter delays, rejections, or credibility issues with German partners.

Why Early Strategic Clarity Matters

This is where early-stage clarity becomes decisive. Before committing resources or scaling candidate pipelines, agencies benefit from understanding which pathways are realistic, how candidates should be positioned, and where regulatory or reputational risks lie.

Starting with the right foundation enables more structured, sustainable market entry - reducing costly trial and error while improving credibility with German institutions.

A Note on Next Steps

For organisations considering caregiver or healthcare workforce pathways into Germany, early strategic clarity can significantly reduce regulatory, financial, and operational risk. ClarionGate supports agencies at this decision-making stage, before deeper commitments are made, through structured and diagnostic advisory.

Last updated: 17 December 2025

Sources

Rafika Hassan
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