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The share of applicants granted full equivalence in Germany varies widely among the individual professions and among the professional groups. The proportion of applicants who received full equivalence is especially high in the sales sector. On the other hand, the success rate in the law and administration sector is extremely low due to significant differences in the law and administration systems among the countries.

The notification indicates the extent to which a foreign qualification corresponds to its German counterpart. Find out what partial, full or no equivalence mean.

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.

For the regulated professions, the rate of full recognition ranges from 35 to 75 percent, except for veterinarian and nursing professional which has a success rate of 90 percent and 86 percent, respectively. Furthermore, the highest rate of full equivalence was issued for the non-regulated occupation of cook, at 82 percent. This is immediately followed by the occupations of electrical systems technician, specialist for metal technology and industrial electrician with over 70 percent.

The rate of full equivalencies varies by profession. The success rate of positive recognition for the regulated professions is between 35 and 70 percent, except for the profession of general care and pediatric nurse, which has a low success rate of 24 percent. Furthermore, the proportion of decisions of full equivalence for the non-regulated occupation of cook is the highest at 86 percent. This is immediately followed by the occupations of elec-trician, industrial electrician, and metal technology specialist with over 70 percent.

The rate of full equivalencies varies by profession. For the regulated professions, the rate of full recognition ranges from 25 to 65 percent, with the exception of veterinarian which has a success rate of 80 percent. Furthermore, the highest rate of full equivalence was issued for the non-regulated occupation of cook, at 83 percent. This is immediately followed by the occupations of electrical systems technician, technician for metal technology and hairdresser with over 60 percent.

The BQ-Portal had the opportunity to present the results of the study “Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Company Perspective” in Brussels twice in a row. First, the IW office in Brussels invited participants to the European Economic and Social Committee to discuss the results with representatives of the EU Commission and other European stakeholders. In addition, Members of the European Parliament, Nela Riehl and Brigitte van den Berg, invited participants for an exchange on the question: How can the transferability of qualifications within Europe be improved?

Recognition as a recruitment strategy: The Horst Busch Elektro-Technik GmbH in Hamburg specifically recruits skilled workers who have obtained their professional qualifications abroad. This Hamburg-based electrical company does not only facilitate the professional recognition of employees who hold foreign qualifications – it also covers the associated costs of the recognition process. They are feeling confident: given the shortage of qualified personnel in this field, this investment will pay off in no time.