In 2024 the number of nursing staff in German hospitals rose to about 409,000 full‑time equivalents, according to the German Hospital Association’s specialist skills monitoring, a fact reported by Politico. The DKG’s vice chair, Henriette Neumeyer, noted that interest in hospital work and related training paths remains high, underscoring the health sector’s ongoing attractiveness. She added that while a demand‑based staffing approach is widely regarded as important, it has yet to be broadly accepted because it is often seen as too rigid and bureaucratic, and its benefits have not yet fully materialised in hospitals.
At the same time, the higher nursing salaries are increasingly burdening statutory health insurers. The Federal Ministry of Health reports that nursing staff costs rose by roughly 12 % in 2025, while overall hospital treatment costs climbed 9.6 %. “Enough is enough” says Johannes Wolff, head of hospitals at the GKV Spitzenverband. He warns of a dangerous disconnect between economic reality and political rhetoric in the hospital sector: as economic growth stagnates, health‑care spending continues to rise unchecked, largely driven by nursing personnel. He argues that this has led to “ever more staff for ever fewer patients” undermining efficiency.
The German Nursing Council, led by president Christine Vogler, rebuked this criticism. Vogler asserts that the increase in staff does not signal an end to shortages, but rather highlights a long‑ignored deficit. She reminds that more than 50 000 positions were cut in the early 2000s, a figure that is now being “painfully” corrected.