Germany
Germany — a priority market. Source-backed signals for workers and employers.
For workers: visible, evidenced skills and mobility matter more where demand is tight.
For employers: describe the real need and compare people by evidence — not a weak CV.
Broad shortages across care, trades, IT and engineering
EURES reporting places Germany among the EU's broadest shortage profiles — health and care occupations, skilled construction, electrical and mechatronics trades, IT and engineering.
Digital skills demand is rising
Cedefop's Skills Forecast points to growing demand for digital and higher-level skills across occupations, including in Germany.
What this country requires of you
The EU framework that applies when you work, post workers, or place a team in this country. Every statement links to its official source and shows when it was last checked. Where a rule is national rather than EU-wide, we say so and point you to the official national site instead of guessing.
Working here yourself
You are working in this country as a local hire, or on your own account.
A valid passport or national identity card. Bring the document itself, not a copy — it is what proves who you are at a check.
The right to work here. If you are an EU/EEA citizen you need no work permit. If you are not, you need a work and/or residence permit — confirm which with the national authority before you travel.
Country-specific paperwork — sector ID or construction cards, local registration, national tax and social-security steps. These exist in most countries but the specifics are national, so confirm them on the official site.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Being posted here from another country
Your employer sends you here temporarily while you stay employed at home — the Posting of Workers Directive applies.
A valid passport or national identity card. Bring the document itself, not a copy — it is what proves who you are at a check.
An A1 portable document. If you stay insured in your home country while working here, A1 is what proves which country's social-security law applies to you. Without it you can be treated as uninsured.
A prior notification, filed before the work starts. Most host countries require the posting to be declared in advance; the portal is national, so use the country link below.
Your employment contract, and the written terms of the posting. Not always demanded at a check, but it is the document that settles a dispute about what was agreed.
This country's minimum pay and core working conditions apply to you while you are posted here, even though you remain employed at home. The exact rates and rules are national.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Country-specific paperwork — sector ID or construction cards, local registration, national tax and social-security steps. These exist in most countries but the specifics are national, so confirm them on the official site.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Placing a team here as a subcontractor
A team or subcontractor works here cross-border. Each posted person carries their own paperwork, and chain liability may apply.
A full set of documents for every posted person on the team — each one needs their own A1, notification and contract paperwork. One shared set for the group is not enough.
A prior notification, filed before the work starts. Most host countries require the posting to be declared in advance; the portal is national, so use the country link below.
An A1 portable document. If you stay insured in your home country while working here, A1 is what proves which country's social-security law applies to you. Without it you can be treated as uninsured.
Chain liability. In many countries a main contractor can be held responsible for a subcontractor's unpaid wages. The rules differ by country and are worth confirming before signing.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Country-specific paperwork — sector ID or construction cards, local registration, national tax and social-security steps. These exist in most countries but the specifics are national, so confirm them on the official site.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Hiring or placing workers here as a company
Your company employs or places people in this country, which brings registration and tax obligations of its own.
Registration of the posting by the company. This is the employer's obligation, separate from anything the individual worker files.
VAT, tax and social-security registration for the company. Whether these apply depends on what the work is and how long it lasts.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
This country's minimum pay and core working conditions apply to you while you are posted here, even though you remain employed at home. The exact rates and rules are national.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
Country-specific paperwork — sector ID or construction cards, local registration, national tax and social-security steps. These exist in most countries but the specifics are national, so confirm them on the official site.
This part is national, not EU-wide. We have not verified the specific rule for this country, so treat it as a question to ask — not as an answer we have given you.
National rules for this country are published by the authorities themselves: official posting-of-workers information
This is sourced information, not legal advice. Rules change and national detail varies; confirm anything that affects a decision with the official national authority.
The market is changing faster than a CV
Public statistics from official EU sources on why visible skills, proof and mobility matter. Every card links to its source with a figure date and region.
Employment is at a record high — competition for skills is tight
75.8% employed (age 20–64), 2024
Eurostat reports the EU employment rate for people aged 20–64 reached 75.8% in 2024 — the highest since the series began in 2009 (and rising above 76% in 2025). A tight market makes visible, evidenced skills more valuable, not less.
Shortages span the whole labour market
The EURES / European Labour Authority report on labour shortages & surpluses lists long-standing shortages in healthcare, construction and hospitality, plus highly-skilled gaps in engineering and IT, and — in the 2024 edition — transport and storage (drivers, mobile-plant operators). The gap is economy-wide, not one sector.
Almost half of employers can't find the right skills
46% of SMEs (≈70% of those hiring)
A European Commission Eurobarometer survey found 46% of EU SMEs found it difficult or very difficult to find staff with the right skills over the past two years — rising to about 70% among SMEs that actually hired. It is a matching problem, not only a supply problem.
The skills jobs need are shifting to digital
55.6% of EU adults with basic digital skills
Cedefop's analysis points to nearly 9 in 10 jobs requiring digital skills, while only about 55.6% of EU adults have at least basic digital skills. The skills profile of many jobs is changing faster than a static CV can show.
The working-age population is shrinking
22 / 27EU countries with working-age decline by 2050
Eurostat population projections show 22 of the 27 EU countries are expected to see their working-age (20–64) population decline by 2050, with the old-age dependency ratio rising substantially. Retaining, re-skilling and matching workers to need becomes structurally more important.
Cross-border mobility helps balance shortages
1.83Mcross-border workers (10.1M work abroad)
The European Commission's Annual Report on Intra-EU Labour Mobility shows about 10.1 million EU citizens of working age work in another member state and roughly 1.83 million are cross-border workers — and movers' employment rate (78%) exceeds nationals' (76%). Relevant for a Baltic & Northern European market where people work across borders.