Opportunities on the German employment market
Qualified professionals from abroad are important for the German healthcare sector. An interview with Björn Gruber from the GIZ
Klaus Lüber ,
17.05.2023 
Mr Gruber, in Germany there are staff shortages in the healthcare sector, especially in nursing and geriatric care. Can workers from abroad plug this gap?
Workers who come to Germany from other countries play an important role in mitigating the skilled labour shortage in this sector. We are trying to do our bit to help with the Triple Win programme – in a sustainable and fair manner. Triple Win is a collaboration between the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. On behalf of German hospitals and care institutions, qualifiedcare professionals are recruited from abroad.
Which countries do you cooperate with?
Triple Win allows qualified carers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Jordan and the Indian state of Kerala to be recruited. In addition, the GIZ has helped recruit trainees from Vietnam since 2019.
Does this not lead to a shortage of nurses in their home countries?
No workers are recruited who are needed locally. When selecting our partner countries, we follow the code of conduct defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The BA and GIZ recruit care professionals only if the state partners in the countries in question have given their approval based on the labour market situation there.
The programme is called Triple Win because it aims to bring about a win-win-win situation for everyone involved. What does this mean?
The name Triple Win describes the three-fold positive effect: Firstly, for the nurses themselves, who benefit from fair working and living conditions in Germany. Secondly, for employers in Germany, as it allows them to fill their vacancies with qualified personnel. Thirdly, for the countries the nurses are from. Unemployment rates are reduced there. This partnership paves the way for safe and fair migration.
How can foreign care professionals apply to Triple Win?
Nurses can apply to Triple Win via the employment agencies responsible in their countries. Once the selection has been made by the BA and the national employment agencies, the GIZ provides the professional and language training needed to prepare the nurses for working in Germany.
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Björn Gruber is project manager at Triple Win – a collaborative project between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Federal Employment Agency.
