Career change in the German labor market

How can you successfully change careers in the German job market? What challenges and opportunities does changing careers bring? A new study by Stepstone shows that more and more people are taking this step and benefiting from the advantages of changing careers.

As part of the Stepstone Group's “Hiring Trends Index” study series, a total of 6,300 employees and 700 recruiters were surveyed in January 2025 about their willingness to look for a new job, their experiences with application processes, and career changes. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they had already changed jobs that did not correspond to their original career path. Seventy-four percent are satisfied with this decision.

And although such a career change can be associated with uncertainty and sometimes requires additional training, the majority of respondents said they had not encountered any significant difficulties in changing careers. This may be due to a changing labor market that offers more and more flexibility and requires adaptability. Many employees feel underchallenged in their current jobs, while companies are desperately searching for qualified specialists. Career changers are therefore increasingly seen as a valuable solution.

We were also interested in the following topics:

• Skills shortage: The skills shortage in Germany is currently less noticeable, as the weak economy is slowing down demand for qualified workers. In the long term, however, demographic change will lead to greater demand again, warns the ifo Institute.

• Gen Z: The labor force participation rate of Generation Z has risen significantly since 2015, especially among students, who are increasingly taking on part-time jobs. A new study by the IAB Forum shows how the cliché about their work ethic can be refuted.

• Gender pay gap: The unadjusted gender pay gap in Germany has fallen by two percentage points to 16% compared to the previous year. Women earn an average of €4.10 less per hour than men, while wage differences for the same job and qualifications remain unchanged, reports the Federal Statistical Office.

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