Care Sector: Retaining Staff from Abroad
Author: Georg Weinand
In economically developed countries, nursing staff is increasingly recruited from abroad and has to be integrated into the local workforce successfully. The partnership between the Victor's Group in Munich and DEKRA Expert Migration is proof as to how this is being mastered.
The shortage of skilled workers in the care sector is a global issue that affects most of the world's economically developed countries. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the shortage of nursing staff in the USA, for example, could grow to over one million by 2026. For Germany, estimates for 2030 vary between 180,000 and 300,000 nursing staff missing, depending on the survey. The German Federal Statistical Office assumes that a total of 2.15 million nursing professionals will be needed by 2049.
There are various reasons for this shortage: most industrialized countries have an ageing population, which increases the need for nursing staff. However, training capacities are often limited. Workers in the care sector are also often exposed to high levels of physical and emotional stress. What's more, there is usually a lack of attractive earning opportunities and social recognition.
The international quest for nursing staff
Therefore, it's no surprise that possible solutions are being debated around the globe: Improved working conditions, higher salaries, greater training capacity and the international recruitment of nursing staff are all being brought into play.
DEKRA Expert Migration also relies on an international recruitment approach for the German market and supports employers in the acute and long-term care sector in their search for qualified employees from abroad. Simone Ludl, Sales Manager at DEKRA Expert Migration, understands who can benefit from international recruiting: “The employer should be of a certain size in order to be able to provide sufficient internal resources for onboarding and sustainable integration. In the hospital sector, hospitals usually start thinking about international recruitment once they reach a capacity of 200 beds.”
Spreading the message - word of mouth can prove useful
A successful onboarding process not only makes it easier for nursing staff to settle in on site, but also gets the word out in a positive sense: “More and more people who are interested tend to say straight away that they would like to work for a particular provider when there is obviously a great work environment and a lot of support when starting out,” explains Ludl. However, support doesn't just mean training for the new job. It also means helping with team integration and adapting to the new social and cultural environment. Part of this is not to hire single people from one country: “We recommend recruiting at least five carers from the same country. The new workers have to leave their family and social environment, which is easier if they take this step together with compatriots they already know from their language course,” says Ludl.
At the beginning of the multi-stage application process, DEKRA first selects suitable applicant profiles based on the employer's requirements. Candidates are selected either directly on site in their home country or via an online process. At the time of the interviews, the candidates are between A2 and B1 language level. The duration of further language acquisition as well as the organization of the required documents until the visa is approved are factors that can lead to a delay of a year or even longer before the carer can actually start working in Germany. “That's why pre-boarding is so important. It takes quite some time from the job interview to arriving in the destination country. During this critical phase, we work closely with our clients to maintain contact with the nursing staff. With a pre-boarding concept that also includes measures like online meetings or newsletters, employers strengthen the bond with future employees,” explains Simone Ludl.
The Victor's Group places its trust in DEKRA
An example of positive experience with the international recruitment of nursing staff is the Munich-based Victor's Group, which operates 120 senior residences throughout Germany. The company relies on the support of DEKRA Expert Migration for its international recruitment and has been active in international candidate markets since 2016. Every year, the Munich-based company recruits between 250 and 350 people from abroad with different levels of qualifications.
Daniel Klein, Head of Human Resources International at Victor's Group, is aware of the importance of onboarding: “All new nursing staff attend a four-week onboarding course with us. This includes another in-depth language course as well as an introduction to the German healthcare system.” In addition to language, personal motivation is the decisive factor for Klein when it comes to successfully recruiting nursing staff: “I'd rather recruit someone who is highly motivated and dedicated to their job and has less specialist knowledge than vice versa. After all, this is what results in longer, happier and smoother employment relationships,” the HR expert is certain.
It's about the people
The induction at the respective location only begins after onboarding. Generally, local managers are responsible, together with practical instructors or experienced specialists. “We are currently also introducing mentors who already work at individual locations. The process we design is highly individualized. This is more time-consuming than a standardized process, but this way we can better accommodate our international colleagues,” explains Klein. For nursing staff whose qualifications are fully recognized in Germany, the daily work routine then begins. All others work as nursing assistants for the first few months until they pass the specialist knowledge test. “DEKRA Expert Migration also organizes the courses for the specialist knowledge test. The preparation takes several months, after which the nursing staff usually pass the exam,” explains Klein.
As a provider of geriatric care, the Victor's Group nevertheless finds itself in a highly competitive situation: “In my opinion, the most common reason for employees quitting their jobs is money. In most cases, nursing staff come to Germany for financial reasons and other people are often dependent on their income. As a provider of geriatric care, we are often not in a position to compete with the salaries in hospitals,” Klein explains.
It is therefore all the more important that geriatric care facilities in particular consider how they can compensate for this shortcoming. Klein's tip: “I recommend defining what positive incentives there are, but also what contractual options are available to retain nursing staff in the long term. The prerequisite for this is transparent communication from the very beginning.”