Sustainable personnel models in the healthcare

When staff shortages become a systemic risk.

46,000 unfilled positions, around 4.5 billion euros annually for temporary work and a high emigration rate of international skilled workers - the healthcare in the DACH region is facing one of the biggest human resources challenges in its history.

The current personnel models are increasingly reaching their limits. Demographic change, increasing supply needs and structural bottlenecks in training mean that the gap between demand and available skilled workers continues to grow. Short-term solutions such as temporary work can cushion acute bottlenecks, but do not offer a sustainable perspective.

International recruitment alone does not solve the problem: around every second international nurse leaves the system. The reasons are often complex recognition procedures, integration hurdles and a lack of long-term retention strategies.

A look at Scandinavia shows possible alternatives. Nursing there is much more academic - around 35% of nursing staff have an academic degree, while in Germany the proportion is around 2%. Higher qualifications, clearer career paths and better integration of international specialists contribute to more stable human resources systems there.

This study analyzes why the personnel gap in the DACH region is growing and which strategies actually work - from more efficient recognition procedures to integration programs to sustainable employee retention measures.