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New Destatis figures show that last year, more foreign vocational qualifications were recognised than in previous years,. Especially against the backdrop of demographic change and the corona crisis, Germany is dependent on skilled workers from abroad.

The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has evaluated the recognition of foreign professional qualifications in 2020. Overall, 5% more foreign vocational qualifications were recognised as fully or partially equivalent in 2020 than in the previous year.

The success rate differs depending on the country, in which the applicants were trained. Recognition rates tend to be higher in the geographically and culturally closer countries than in the more remote countries.

Applicants from Portugal and Spain have the highest chances of positive ruling since their recognition rate stands at about 95% in Germany. The success rate of those from Czech Republic, Austria and Greece is over 90%. Those from Hungary and Slovakia received a positive ruling in over 85% of the cases.

In terms of individual professions the recognition rate in Germany diverges widely. On the one hand, over 90% of master bricklayers and master concrete workers receive full equivalence. Only slightly below this figure is the success rate of applicants who wish to have their license to practice as a dentist or veterinarian recognized.

The share of those granted full equivalence varies widely by individual professions and by professional groups. The proportion of applicants who received full equivalence is especially high in the sales sectors. It reaches 82%. The success rate in the informatics, information and communication technology sector is, on the contrary, extremely low.

In terms of individual professions, the recognition rate in Germany diverges widely. Almost 90% of applicants who wish to work as seller receive full equivalence. In most professions, the share of those granted full equivalence varies from 40% to 80%.

In 2023, as in previous years, the regulated medical professions dominated in the recognition procedures for foreign professional qualifications in Germany. For the regulated professions, the rate of positive recognition ranged between 25 and 66 percent. The highest rate of decisions on full equivalence for the non-regulated professions was issued for kitchen specialists, at 89 percent.

The majority of recognition notifications is granted to applicants from Romania. The majority of the recognition notifications are issued for regulated professions, especially general care nurses and doctors. There are much fewer notifications issued for the non-regulated professions such as office clerks and electrical systems technicians.

The majority of recognition notifications is granted to the applicants from Romania. The majority of the recognition notifications are issued for the regulated professions, especially general care nurse and doctor. There are much fewer notifications issued for the non-regulated professions such as office clerks and electrical systems technician.