Where is a good place to live and work? Discover what benefits Germany has to offer.

Employees in Germany in Germany have protected rights. These include statutory notice periods, holiday entitlement, rest periods, laws protecting mothers-to-be and nursing mothers, parental leave, co-determination within the company, equal treatment of all employees, and the statutory minimum wage, for example.
Health and safety laws are in place to uphold health and safety standards at the workplace. Even if you fall ill, you will still receive your salary. These regulations allow you to maintain a healthy relationship between work and leisure.

In addition, as an employee, you benefit from the German social security system, and you are automatically registered in the schemes of statutory health insurance, pension insurance, accident insurance, and unemployment insurance. You and your employer pay a fixed contribution, which is directly deducted from your salary for this purpose. This means that you and your family are well protected in times of hardship.

Please find more information in the “Salary, taxes & social security” section and on the website of the “Fair Integration (External link) ” project.

The conditions and requirements for working in Germany vary depending on the country of origin and other criteria (e.g., qualification and work experience). For skilled workers from non-EU states, a relationship of qualified employment must generally exist.

If you are from an EU or EEA Member State or from Switzerland, you have unrestricted access to the German labour market. 

With the Quick-Check, you can check which options you have for working in Germany.

An employment position is considered as qualified if it requires skills and knowledge that are usually acquired during academic studies or qualified vocational training. Qualified vocational training is a state-recognised vocational training programme with a minimum training period of two years.

The easiest way to find current job offers in Germany is online: in the “Make it in Germany” job listings, on other known job portals on the Internet, or on social career platforms. In regard to all job offers in the „Make it in Germany” job listings, the employers agreed to receiving applications from foreign skilled workers.

Please find more tips on the topic of job search on the “Looking for a job” subpage.

Whether you require German language skills often depends on the profession to be practised. As a rule, it will be easier for you to find a job if you speak German (exceptions are possible, e.g., in the IT industry). German language skills are also important for everyday life, as well as participation on a societal level. Experience shows that language level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a good basis for getting by in Germany.

Please visit the “Learning German” section to find out how and where you can learn German.

In some cases, a proof of your German language skills is required for the visa application. This applies to certain professions (e.g., nursing professionals) and for some visas (e.g., visa for vocational training).

Please find detailed information in the “Do I need to know German?”.