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The Federal Statistical Office reports a record high in the recognition of foreign professional qualifications: In 2023, significantly more foreign skilled workers were able to have their vocational training recognized in Germany, with 54,981 qualifications successfully recognized. This represents an increase of 25 percent compared to 2022 (52,300). Compared to 2016, the number has even doubled. This achievement is also a result of the new Skilled Labor Immigration Act.
Most applications in 2023 come from Turkey, followed by the Philippines and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Austria has the highest positive recognition rate in 2023 with 96 percent, followed by Latvia with 94 percent, as well as the Netherlands, Hungary and the Czech Republic, which also have positive recognition rates of over 90 percent.
You have received a job application with a professional qualification obtained abroad but you do not know whether it is appropriate or sufficient. Or: You already have employees with foreign professional qualifications and are wondering whether you could place them in a position better suited to their qualifications - and thus make optimal use of your available human resources.
Immigrants perform worse in the labor market than natives, likely because of the low transferability of home-country professional certificates. The standardized recognition of professional certificates in the host country represents one policy for increasing their transferability.This paper investigates the effects of a large recognition reform in Germany on the labor market outcomes of non-EU immigrants.
More than 44,130 applications for recognition of foreign professional qualifications were processed in 2022 in Germany. In most cases, full or partial equivalence could be certified in 2022. Only 2 percent of the applicants received a negative decision.
Applicants from Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and France have the highest chances of positive ruling since their success rate is over 90%. The highest recognition rate has the Netherlands with about 96%. Those from Italy, Austria, Romania and Hungary received a positive ruling in over 89% of the cases.
Applicants from Belgium, Hungary, Libya, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Italy and Romania have the highest chances of positive ruling since their success rate is over 85%. The highest recognition rate has Austria with about 92%. Those from Greece received a positive ruling in over 80% of the cases.
Applicants from Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have the highest chances of positive ruling since their success rate is over 90%. The recognition rate of those from Belgium equals 100%, which means that all applicants from Belgium get full equivalence. The success rate of those from Czech Republic, Netherlands and Portugal is over 94%.
In this section the BQ-Portal provides an overview of the success rates of applications for professional recognition by professional groups, professions, regions and countries. Full equivalence is the most common outcome of the equivalence reviews in 2017.