There are many different jobs in Germany for which you can apply from abroad. An essential requirement is that you hold a degree and get it officially recognized in Germany.

I recently gave a talk to parents who have teenage children. They wanted to find out which career paths have particularly good prospects for their children in the future. The professions I presented to the parents are also suitable for foreigners who want to work in Germany.

Those occupations with currently excellent future prospects are called „bottleneck occupations“. If you are trained in one of these professions, according to the latest legislation you could apply for a job in Germany and eventually move to Germany.

Professions with high demand

There is a high demand for skilled workers in these areas. This is also always associated with good development and career opportunities.

Bottleneck professions („Engpaßberufe“)

A bottleneck occupation is defined as an occupation in which there are shortages of skilled workers.

Bottlenecks of skilled workers occur when the demand for skilled workers in a region and in an occupation exceeds the supply of skilled workers in the short term.

As I want to show you what professions these are in Germany at the given time, I went to an official statistic. This is list of professions from a statistical evaluation of the Employment Agency from May 2022.

In the table you’ll find the English occupational term or the occupational area, and in the middle the German designation.

All occupations belong to the bottleneck occupations. In each of these occupational areas, skilled workers with a degree are sought, including those from abroad.rmany .

ProfessionsGerman BerufsbezeichnungOverall rating
Pavers, stonemasonPflasterer/innen, Steinsetzer/innen 3,0
Professions in civil engineering (o.S.)Berufe im Tiefbau (o.S.) 3,0
Professions line installation,-maintenanceBerufe Leitungsinstallation,-wartung3,0
Nursing ProfessionsPflegeberufe 2,8
Occupations Plumbing, heating, air-conditioning technologyBerufe Sanitär-, Heizungs-, Klimatechnik2,8
Professions surgical/medical-technical assistanceBerufe operations-/med.-techn. Assistenz2,7
Professions in pipeline constructionBerufe im Rohrleitungsbau2,7
Professions in refrigerationBerufe in der Kältetechnik2,7
Professions in canal and tunnel constructionBerufe im Kanal- und Tunnelbau2,7
Professions in track constructionBerufe im Gleisbau2,7
Professions in facade constructionBerufe im Fassadenbau2,7
Professions in the production of building materialsBerufe in der Baustoffherstellung2,7
Medical-technical professions RadiologyMedizinisch-technische Berufe Radiologie2,5
Professions in tax consultingBerufe in der Steuerberatung2,5
Professions in the sale of meat productsBerufe im Verkauf von Fleischwaren2,5
Professions in plumbing (o.S.)Berufe in der Klempnerei (o.S.)2,5
Professions in road and asphalt constructionBerufe im Straßen- und Asphaltbau2,5
Professions in agricultural and construction machinery technologyBerufe i.d. Land-, Baumaschinentechnik2,5
Dental assistantZahnmedizinische Fachangestellte2,4
Professions in hearing aid acousticsBerufe in der Hörgeräteakustik2,3
Occupations in the care of the elderly (s.s.T.)Berufe in der Altenpflege (s.s.T.)2,3
professions in the rescue serviceBerufe im Rettungsdienst2,3
Assistance law office, notary’s officeAssistenz Rechtsanwaltskanzlei, Notariat2,3
Professions in sales (furniture, furnishings)Berufe im Verkauf (Möbel, Einrichtung)2,3
Professions in roller shutter and blind constructionBerufe im Rollladen- und Jalousiebau2,3
Professions in glazieryBerufe in der Glaserei2,3
Carpentry professionsBerufe in der Zimmerei2,3
Professions screed and terrazzo layingBerufe Estrich- und Terrazzoverlegung2,3
Occupations tile, slab, mosaic layingBerufe Fliesen-, Platten-, Mosaikverlegung2,3
Professions in floor laying (o.S.)Berufe in der Bodenverlegung (o.S.)2,3
Professions in roofingBerufe in der Dachdeckerei2,3
Professions in masonryBerufe im Maurerhandwerk2,3
Occupations in building construction (o.S.)Berufe im Hochbau (o.S.)2,3
Professions in automotive engineeringBerufe in der Kraftfahrzeugtechnik2,2
Professions in stonemasonryBerufe in der Steinmetztechnik2,2
Professions gardening, landscaping, sports ground constructionBerufe Garten-, Landschafts, Sportplatzbau2,2
Professional driver (freight transport/truck)Berufskraftfahrer (Güterverkehr/LKW)2,2
Professions in dental technologyBerufe in der Zahntechnik2,2
Professions in ophthalmic opticsBerufe in der Augenoptik2,2
Veterinary nurseTiermedizinische Fachangestellte2,2
Medical assistant (o.S.)Medizinische Fachangestellte (o.S.)2,2
Professions in sales (garden, home improvement.)Berufe im Verkauf (Garten, Heimwerk.)2,2
Guide earthmoving, relatedFührer Erdbewegungs-, verwandte2,2
Agricultural and forestry machinery operatorsFührer land-, forstwirtschaftl. Maschinen2,2
Professions in insulationBerufe in der Isolierung2,2
Occupations in finishing and drywall construction (o.S.)Berufe im Aus- und Trockenbau (o.S.)2,2
Professions in parquet layingBerufe in der Parkettverlegung2,2
Professions in concrete and reinforced concrete constructionBerufe im Beton- und Stahlbetonbau2,2
Professions in surveying technologyBerufe in der Vermessungstechnik2,2
Professions in food production (oS)Berufe i.d. Lebensmittelherstellung (oS)2,2
Professions in automation technologyBerufe in der Automatisierungstechnik2,2
Professions in mechatronicsBerufe in der Mechatronik2,2
Production of wood-based materials and componentsProduktion v. Holzwerkstoffen,-bauteilen2,2
Professions in agriculture (o.S.)Berufe in der Landwirtschaft (o.S.)2,2
Insurance brokersVersicherungskaufleute2,0
Professions sale medical suppliesBerufe Verkauf Sanitäts-, Medizinbedarf2,0
Professions sale medical suppliesBerufe Verkauf Sanitäts-, Medizinbedarf2,0
Monitoring, maintenance railroad infrastructureÜberwach., Wartung Eisenbahninfrastruktur2,0
Chimney sweepersSchornsteinfeger/innen2,0
Professions in building materials testingBerufe in der Baustoffprüfung2,0
Professions in scaffoldingBerufe im Gerüstbau2,0

The importance of a professional degree

If you have completed training in one of these professions and have a degree, then there are good prospects of gaining a foothold in the German labor market.