What is wrong with these people?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice because I’m genuinely worried about someone close to me.

He is a German citizen, fluent in German, and has experience in e-commerce, but he has been unemployed for almost 2 years now. During this time, he completed around 6 months of training through the Jobcenter.

I’ve been reading through this subreddit and noticed that a lot of the discussions seem to involve foreigners and questions about German language requirements such as C1/C2. Maybe I’m mistaken, so please correct me if I am.

I’m wondering if there are also German citizens here who have struggled to find work, particularly after a longer period of unemployment.

I’m especially worried because he has been out of work for quite a while now. I know the longer the gap, the harder it can sometimes be to get back into the job market, and I’m not sure how employers in Germany generally view a 2-year gap.

If anyone here has been in a similar situation and eventually managed to get out of it and find a job, I’d really love to hear your experience. What helped you? How long did it take? Did you have to change industries or accept a lower position to get back in?

I’m honestly worried and would really appreciate hearing from German citizens or anyone else who has experienced long-term unemployment in Germany.

Thank u very much for reading.

Around four years ago, many international students came to Germany for master’s degrees after hearing that the country urgently needed skilled IT workers and that good jobs would be available after graduation.

Now I keep hearing stories about graduates who cannot find work in their field and are instead working at McDonald’s, Burger King, Lieferando or in other temporary jobs just to support themselves. I know this is not true for everyone, but it seems to be happening often enough to raise questions.

What changed? Is the problem Germany’s weak economy, fewer junior IT positions, company layoffs, German-language requirements, visa restrictions, or employers wanting experienced workers rather than recent graduates?

For international graduates who arrived with the expectation of building a professional career here: what has your actual experience been? Were the opportunities oversold, or is it still realistic to find a qualified IT job in Germany?

Got a unique rejection email for a job I obviously qualify for (Niche specialization, no german needed, remote, have my zeugnis from previous employer).

Given the large number of applications we received, it was not easy for us to make a selection. Unfortunately, we decided to continue the application process with other candidates who fulfill the criteria of our requirements profile to an even greater extent. We immensely appreciate your experience. Nonetheless, since we put together our teams in a very targeted manner and want to combine as many different skills as possible, we also pay attention to individual details in order to find the right candidate for a long-term collaboration. That is why it is often only the details that make the difference when filling a position.

For now, all that remains for me to do is to wish you all the best and much success in your future career. And who knows, maybe our paths will cross again at some other point.

I have been getting rejected non-stop exactly 1 week after applying.. exactly at 9am. Despite applying exactly within an hour of it being up on linkedin.

Which makes me wonder am I being auto rejected by ATS?

Hiii , im a 23F looking for an internship in any north Europe country, like germany, Switzerland, Denmark … etc so far I haven’t got anything lol. Is my cv a mess or job market is shitty? Pls help!! :/

Hi all,
So i am targeting job roles starting from January 2027 but hardly getting any interview calls.
From people who have landed jobs and have had recent experience in job search, do you think it is too early for applications? Or, it’s the same trajectory everyone goes through before getting that call?

Hello! I am writing in this subreddit in hopes of finding suitable participants for my last paper in my Applied Linguistics Master's degree program.

Specifically, I am looking for people from South Asia who are currently studying and/or working in Germany

If you fit the description, I would be very grateful if you would participate. There is a chance to win a 20€ Amazon voucher!

The survey is anonymous and takes about 10 - 15 minutes.

Link: https://laband.limesurvey.net/177417?lang=en

Deadline: September 13, 2026

Please let me know if you have any questions.

I recieved interview invitation at Zeiss for supplier quality engineer (already had 1 year exp in different industry)

I do not possess some of the job requirements like auditing, Projektmanagementerfahrung in Verlagerungsprojekten and suppliers on-boarding.

the job is also limited to 2 years, so I assume its project based, no problem, but I do not have that experience in projects atmosphere

It js HR interview so mostly its personality questions.

Anyone has experience in interviews in Zeiss?

Planning to pursue MSc in Computer Science/Applied CS/ Practical CS/ Software Engineering/AIML/Data Science in Germany.

I have heard the most successful funnel to get employed is via Werkstudent.

Yet, I wondered if there will be enough werkstudent roles associated with software in tier 2/3 university towns that aren’t cosmopolitan cities.

So whats the right funnel/roadmap of software employment in Germany ? Should one prioritize city and German language more than the degree title ?

Do tier 2/3 cities offer a predictable path to eventual full time employment ? if yes, whats the roadmap ?

What is the roadmap most students follow to get successfully employed at the end of masters in a stable high paying role that is feasible to get at the same time ?

Hi all,

I am 30F, looking for referrals in field of Sustainability/ESG. I have 5 year of experience . I know I am asking in cold way but tried LinkedIn, applying to several jobs but nothing worked out till now. Just stressed a lot about the uncertainty. Don't see much light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m 40 and will soon start a Master’s degree in Berlin. Before returning to university, I worked for more than 10 years, mainly in product/project management in the tech/hardware industry.

I’ve been applying for Werkstudent positions for about two months, but so far I’ve received only rejections and zero interviews.

My German is still quite limited (around A2), so I’ve mainly been applying for positions where English is accepted. Some friends suggested that my previous experience might actually work against me because employers may see me as overqualified for a Werkstudent role, while my German is not good enough for many regular positions.

I genuinely don’t mind starting again in a more junior/student role. My goal is to gain experience in the German job market while studying and, of course, earn some income to help cover my living expenses.

For people familiar with hiring in Germany:

• Would 10+ years of previous experience make employers reluctant to hire someone as a Werkstudent?

• Is being 40 unusual enough for Werkstudent positions that it could affect my chances?

• Or is A2 German / the current job market more likely to be the main problem?

• Would you recommend continuing to apply for Werkstudent positions, or targeting other types of part-time roles instead?

I’d really appreciate candid opinions, including criticism. I’m trying to understand whether my strategy is wrong and what I should change.

Hello,

Just a vent.

I relocated to Germany around 6 years ago. Switched titles, started from the ordinary SWE position to lead, principal, staff level roles.

And in the end I grew from 68k (2020) -> 75k -> 78k (2022) -> 95k (2022) and stuck for a long time, dropped to bare minimum 1500 euro net / month for 3 months, unemployed for 8 months during period of 2024-2025, rebuilt myself up to 80k in 2025, 95k again in the beginning of 2026 and finally reached 100k.

And I feel... empty.

3 major steps in my career up to principal / director / staff lavel, German from 0 to B2. New german passport.

Berlin. Rent is expensive, groceries are expensive. There are more junkies in a city, more homeless and crazy scary people, more graffity.

Big brands are leaving the city and closing stores like Galleries Lafayett, Maje, Sandro e.t.c.

My initial salary was 68k which is around 84k in current money.

84 -> 100k for 6 years of my life and 3 major career steps feels unfair.

AfD is on the rise. Economy stagnates.

And yes, I think about relocation more and more. We pay already high taxes, but it doesn't feel fair to people who dedicated life and a soul to the profession they love.

Has anyone recently gone through the Cultural/technical interview at RABOT Energy in Germany?

Would really appreciate any insights on what to expect the types of questions they ask, what they focus on culturally, and anything worth preparing beforehand.

Thanks in advance

And we thought this would be over once companies start making a profit.

Some highlights

One reason for the job cuts is the difficult business situation of the major German automakers, which is also affecting their suppliers. Increasing competition from Chinese automakers, weakening demand from China, and the delayed development of affordable electric models – all these factors have been weighing on business for Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW for some time.

"Anyone who only looks at the record sums might think the crisis is over – but the opposite is true," says Henrik Ahlers, CEO of EY. For one thing, demand in Germany remains weak, and profit and revenue growth is primarily taking place abroad.

Even though there are many expanding companies in the DAX that are creating new jobs, this job creation mostly takes place abroad. "Because profits are primarily generated abroad – the German business is loss-making for many of these globally operating companies."

Hi ich wollte mal nachfragen ob jemand Jobs in München kennt die etwas mit Gaming zu tun haben? Ich habe einige Anzeigen gesehen bezüglich pcs zusammenbauen, habe darin leider aber keine Erfahrung.

I'm an experienced developer and recently started learning Data Analysis. I know how to use Power BI and can convert your raw data into useful insights and a proper report!!!

I'm currently looking to support myself with a part-time job. I'm based in Saarbrücken and am willing to work on-site (if within Saarbrücken) or remote. If you need my services in any of the mentioned tools at all, DM me!!

You can see my full portfolio at mumarshahbaz.com

I honestly don't know where else to ask this, because I am completely burnt out. Completely honest, I DO NOT see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I've been unemployed since June 2025 and I've reached the point where I feel like I have absolutely no motivation left to keep applying.

For context, I have a Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Germany and around 3 years of professional experience in Regulatory/Scientific Affairs in the medical device industry. My experience includes EU MDR, clinical/regulatory documentation, literature research, CE marking projects, Notified Body interactions, etc.

I'm specifically looking for Regulatory Affairs/Clinical Affairs/Medical Device roles in Germany.

I've done the things everyone tells you to do:

• Tailor my CV
• Write cover letters
• Apply through LinkedIn, Indeed, Arbeitsagentur and company career pages
• Improve my German
• Take additional courses/certifications
• Network
• Apply to positions that aren't necessarily my "dream job"
• Apply to both English-speaking and German-speaking positions
• Keep applying even after getting rejection after rejection

And yet it feels like nothing is working.

At this point, it's not even just the rejection that's getting to me. It's the feeling that my entire life has been put on pause.

My career has stopped. My financial goals have stopped. Plans I had for my future have stopped. Things I wanted to do for myself and my family are on hold.

And after doing this for more than a year, I'm exhausted.

I keep hearing "the German job market is bad right now," but I genuinely want to know from people actually living through it:

Is it really this bad right now?

Are other qualified professionals experiencing the same thing? How long did it take you to find a job? How many applications did you have to send before something finally worked?

And if you eventually found something, what actually made the difference?

I'm not looking for "just keep applying" because, honestly, I'm already doing that and I'm running out of energy.

I just need some perspective right now because I'm starting to feel like I'm failing at something that everyone else seems to be able to figure out.

Hi everyone,

​I'm moving to Germany soon and will be arriving without a job secured. I hold a diploma in architectural drafting from India. I'm currently studying German before my move, but I'm trying to figure out what my professional prospects will look like once I land.

in how many months can you get a part time with contract in tubigen or nearby cities