COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
par The Stepstone Group
Career changes are booming: The share of jobs listed on Stepstone in Germany has increased more than sixfold since 2019
EQS-Media / 16.06.2026 / 09:45 CET/CEST
Press release
Career changes are booming: The share of jobs listed on Stepstone in Germany has increased more than sixfold since 2019
Düsseldorf, June 16th, 2026 – New career paths and career changes are becoming significantly more important in the German job market. This is revealed by a recent analysis by the job platform Stepstone, which analyzed over 5.5 million job postings. According to the survey, the proportion of job postings on Stepstone.de that explicitly mention opportunities for career changers has increased more than sixfold since 2019. The increase has been particularly sharp since 2025.
Employees are also very open to the idea, as the latest Stepstone Hiring Trends Update shows. One particularly striking result is that 87% would consider switching to a different field or industry if their skills were to become less in demand in the future. More than one in three (37%) have already applied for a job outside their industry in the past twelve months—while 59% are actively looking for a new challenge and another 35% are generally open to offers. “Traditional, linear career paths are becoming less and less important. Skills, a willingness to learn, and potential for growth are taking center stage. This is changing the way people think about and shape their career paths,” says Dr. Anna Wittich, a labor market researcher at Stepstone. These professions are particularly open to career changers Sales, logistics, retail, manufacturing, and skilled trades are particularly open to career changers. In these fields, transferable skills such as organizational ability, customer focus, and an understanding of processes often count for more than formal degrees. Many positions can also be filled through on-the-job training or targeted orientation and internal training courses.
The fact that companies are increasingly open to career changers is also due to a shortage of suitable skilled workers. For 44% of recruiters, finding suitable candidates with the right skills has been the biggest hiring challenge over the past six months.
“The boom in career transitions is no coincidence. Skills shortages, demographic change, and economic upheavals are increasing the pressure on companies to become more flexible. And many employees are willing to take this step,” says Anna Wittich. “For companies, career changers are a very effective way to expand the pool of suitable candidates. Employers who place greater emphasis on potential, the ability to learn, and transferable skills than on formal degrees often fill open positions more quickly and sustainably.”
About the study Hiring Trends Update
The “Hiring Trends Update 2026” survey is part of a biannual series of studies. This edition is based on a survey of 6,114 employees and 800 HR managers in Germany (fieldwork period: April 23 to May 6, 2026). The study examines the current state of the labor market from both perspectives: from job searching and willingness to change jobs, through application experiences and continuing education, to hiring processes and recruiting challenges. The candidate sample is representative of the German working population in terms of age, gender, and educational level. The data collection was conducted by the Stepstone labor market research team.
About the Platform Analysis for Career Changers
For this special analysis, approximately 5.5 million job postings on stepstone.de in Germany from January 2019 to March 2026 were analyzed. Career-change jobs were identified based on specific terms in job titles and ad text—including phrases such as “career changers welcome,” “retraining,” or “no prior experience required.” The proportion of these ads in the total pool was compared to the weighted average for the entire analysis period to make the trend over the years comparable.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutions connect more than 130 million job applications with about 70,000 customers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs about 3,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group media relations
press@stepstone.com
Career changes are booming: The share of jobs listed on Stepstone in Germany has increased more than sixfold since 2019
- More than one in three employees applied for a job in a new field last year
- Sales, retail, logistics, and skilled trades are particularly open to career changers
- Nearly 9 out of 10 employees are generally open to switching to a new profession
Düsseldorf, June 16th, 2026 – New career paths and career changes are becoming significantly more important in the German job market. This is revealed by a recent analysis by the job platform Stepstone, which analyzed over 5.5 million job postings. According to the survey, the proportion of job postings on Stepstone.de that explicitly mention opportunities for career changers has increased more than sixfold since 2019. The increase has been particularly sharp since 2025.
Employees are also very open to the idea, as the latest Stepstone Hiring Trends Update shows. One particularly striking result is that 87% would consider switching to a different field or industry if their skills were to become less in demand in the future. More than one in three (37%) have already applied for a job outside their industry in the past twelve months—while 59% are actively looking for a new challenge and another 35% are generally open to offers. “Traditional, linear career paths are becoming less and less important. Skills, a willingness to learn, and potential for growth are taking center stage. This is changing the way people think about and shape their career paths,” says Dr. Anna Wittich, a labor market researcher at Stepstone. These professions are particularly open to career changers Sales, logistics, retail, manufacturing, and skilled trades are particularly open to career changers. In these fields, transferable skills such as organizational ability, customer focus, and an understanding of processes often count for more than formal degrees. Many positions can also be filled through on-the-job training or targeted orientation and internal training courses.
The fact that companies are increasingly open to career changers is also due to a shortage of suitable skilled workers. For 44% of recruiters, finding suitable candidates with the right skills has been the biggest hiring challenge over the past six months.
“The boom in career transitions is no coincidence. Skills shortages, demographic change, and economic upheavals are increasing the pressure on companies to become more flexible. And many employees are willing to take this step,” says Anna Wittich. “For companies, career changers are a very effective way to expand the pool of suitable candidates. Employers who place greater emphasis on potential, the ability to learn, and transferable skills than on formal degrees often fill open positions more quickly and sustainably.”
About the study Hiring Trends Update
The “Hiring Trends Update 2026” survey is part of a biannual series of studies. This edition is based on a survey of 6,114 employees and 800 HR managers in Germany (fieldwork period: April 23 to May 6, 2026). The study examines the current state of the labor market from both perspectives: from job searching and willingness to change jobs, through application experiences and continuing education, to hiring processes and recruiting challenges. The candidate sample is representative of the German working population in terms of age, gender, and educational level. The data collection was conducted by the Stepstone labor market research team.
About the Platform Analysis for Career Changers
For this special analysis, approximately 5.5 million job postings on stepstone.de in Germany from January 2019 to March 2026 were analyzed. Career-change jobs were identified based on specific terms in job titles and ad text—including phrases such as “career changers welcome,” “retraining,” or “no prior experience required.” The proportion of these ads in the total pool was compared to the weighted average for the entire analysis period to make the trend over the years comparable.
About The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutions connect more than 130 million job applications with about 70,000 customers every year. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 10 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs about 3,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english
Contact
The Stepstone Group media relations
press@stepstone.com
End of Media Release
Issuer: The Stepstone Group
Key word(s): Services
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| Language: | English |
| Company: | The Stepstone Group |
| Völklinger Straße 1 | |
| 40219 Düsseldorf | |
| Germany | |
| Internet: | https://www.thestepstonegroup.com/de/ |
| EQS News ID: | 2347018 |
| End of News | EQS Media |
2347018 16.06.2026 CET/CEST