Picking a trade at random is the surest way to wait a long time for an answer. The jobs in demand in Germany are no secret: the Federal Employment Agency publishes a shortage analysis every year. For 2025 it counted 157 occupations with a shortage of skilled workers. For a candidate from Cameroon, aiming at one of these fields improves your chances of finding a company willing to wait for your visa. Here are the sectors that are hiring, what each Ausbildung pays, and how to choose the one that genuinely suits you.
What the Federal Employment Agency says
The Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) assesses occupations every year using several indicators: how long it takes to fill a vacancy, how many unemployed people there are per opening, how wages develop. An occupation becomes an “Engpassberuf” (shortage occupation) when positions stay open for a long time and few candidates are available.
The results for 2025:
- 157 shortage occupations, down from 163 in 2024 and 183 in 2023;
- shortages hit care, medical occupations, construction and skilled crafts hardest;
- cooks and professional drivers are in strong demand;
- most shortage occupations sit at the skilled-worker level, which is exactly the level an Ausbildung leads to.
That last point matters for you: Germany is not only short of engineers. It is mostly short of people trained through an Ausbildung.
Watch for changes, too: according to the same analysis, some fields, such as metal machining and software development, are no longer in shortage. The market shifts from year to year.
Nursing: the biggest shortage
Care occupations remain at the top of the shortage list. Training as a Pflegefachmann or Pflegefachfrau (registered nurse) takes 3 years full time, with a large practical share in hospitals or care homes.
- Pay: the law guarantees appropriate pay throughout the training. At public employers, the TVAöD-Pflege agreement reportedly pays about 1,490 EUR gross in year 1 since May 2026 (figure from specialist websites, check it against your contract).
- Special requirement: you need a school level equivalent to the German mittlerer Schulabschluss, so your GCE O-Level, BEPC or Probatoire must be assessed.
- Visa: at the embassy in Yaoundé, health training files are processed by a specialised federal office, and the embassy then issues the visa. In 2025 the embassy indicated waiting times of up to 10 months for health professions.
It is physically and emotionally demanding work. Choose it because you want to care for people, not only because it is hiring. Everything is in our article on nursing Ausbildung in Germany.
Cooking and hospitality
Cooks are among the profiles in strong demand. The Koch or Köchin (cook) Ausbildung takes place in a restaurant, hotel or canteen, with Berufsschule alongside.
- Collectively agreed average 2025: 1,223 EUR gross per month for Koch, 1,225 EUR for Hotelfachmann or Hotelfachfrau (hotel specialist).
- Profile: quick, calm under pressure, ready to work evenings and weekends.
If you have already worked in a restaurant in Buea or a hotel in Limbe, put it front and centre in your CV. It is concrete experience a company can test in the interview.
Construction and skilled crafts
Handwerk (skilled crafts) and construction are among the shortage sectors. A few trades and their collectively agreed averages for 2025:
| Trade | Monthly average |
|---|---|
| Maurer (bricklayer) | 1,332 EUR |
| Anlagenmechaniker SHK (plumbing, heating and air-conditioning installer) | 1,021 EUR |
The average across all crafts was 1,093 EUR in 2025. Some technical trades, like Kfz-Mechatroniker (automotive mechatronics technician), take three and a half years. If you have done masonry, electrical work or mechanics in Cameroon, that is a real asset. See our article on trades Ausbildung in Germany.
Transport: professional driver
Berufskraftfahrer (professional truck or bus drivers) are in demand according to the employment agency. The collectively agreed training average was 1,195 EUR gross per month in 2025. It is a job with real responsibility, irregular hours and plenty of safety rules. You need to enjoy the road and be ready to learn the German highway code.
Logistics: a solid way in
Looking for an Ausbildung in logistics in Germany? Logistics is not named among the main shortages by the employment agency, but it offers many training places and decent pay:
- Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik (warehouse logistics specialist): 1,251 EUR gross per month on average in 2025;
- Fachlagerist (warehouse operative, a shorter training): 1,192 EUR gross per month on average.
You handle receiving, storing and shipping goods, often with forklifts and warehouse software. It is a good choice if you are organised and precise.
Industry and retail
Industrial trades are among the best paid: 1,324 EUR for Mechatroniker (mechatronics technician) and 1,318 EUR for Industriemechaniker (industrial mechanic) on average in 2025. These programmes take three and a half years and need good maths and physics.
In retail, Kaufmann or Kauffrau im Einzelhandel (retail salesperson) averaged 1,226 EUR and Verkäufer (sales assistant) 1,138 EUR. These jobs involve a lot of customer contact, so you need confident spoken German.
Pay summary for 2025
| Trade | Sector | Collectively agreed average per month |
|---|---|---|
| Maurer | Construction | 1,332 EUR |
| Mechatroniker | Industry | 1,324 EUR |
| Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik | Logistics | 1,251 EUR |
| Kaufmann im Einzelhandel | Retail | 1,226 EUR |
| Hotelfachmann | Hospitality | 1,225 EUR |
| Koch | Catering | 1,223 EUR |
| Berufskraftfahrer | Transport | 1,195 EUR |
| Medizinische Fachangestellte | Health | 1,117 EUR |
Gross averages across the whole training and the whole of Germany (BIBB). Remember: for the visa your allowance must reach 1,048 EUR gross or 822 EUR net per month, otherwise you need a top-up. The details are in our article on Ausbildung salary in Germany.
Trades to approach with caution
Some trades attract many Cameroonian candidates but come with practical problems:
- Hairdressing: the lowest-paid Ausbildung according to BIBB, at 727 EUR on average in 2025. That is far below the 1,048 EUR visa threshold, so you would need a large top-up in a blocked account.
- School-based training: many programmes are unpaid. For the visa you must prove at least 959 EUR net per month, which adds up to a large sum over the whole training.
- Jobs that rely heavily on speaking: sales, reception, care. They remain open to you, but a freshly earned B1 makes the interview and the first months hard.
That does not mean “impossible”. It means: do the maths and prepare harder.
How to choose your trade
A shortage alone is not enough. The trade also has to fit you. Ask yourself:
- What can I already do? Experience in Cameroon, even informal, counts in an application.
- Can I handle the rhythm? Night shifts in care, late evenings in kitchens, cold building sites in winter.
- Is my school background enough? Industrial trades need solid maths, nursing needs an assessed school certificate.
- Is my German good enough? B1 is the baseline. Jobs with lots of customer or patient contact need strong spoken German.
At ILC we go through these questions with every candidate before applications start, and then our team prepares and sends the files in the chosen sector. The general rules are on our requirements page, and the full process on how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs are most in demand in Germany?
According to the Federal Employment Agency, care, medical occupations, construction and skilled crafts are hit hardest by shortages. Cooks and professional drivers are also in strong demand.
Can I do a logistics Ausbildung from Cameroon?
Yes. Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik and Fachlagerist are company-based trainings open to you with B1 and a contract, like other trades.
Does a shortage occupation guarantee the visa?
No. The visa depends on your contract, your B1 German and your funds. A shortage trade helps you find a company, it does not let you skip the rules.
Which trade can I choose with no experience?
Logistics, hospitality and catering often take on motivated beginners. What matters most is good German and genuine motivation for the job.
Sources
- Federal Employment Agency: skilled worker shortage analysis 2025
- Federal Employment Agency: press release of 28 May 2025 on shortage occupations
- BIBB: allowances by occupation 2025
- BIBB: collectively agreed allowances 2025
- Section 6 PflBG: nursing training duration
- Section 11 PflBG: entry requirements for nursing training
- German Embassy Yaoundé: appointment FAQ
- Make it in Germany: visa for vocational training
Last checked: 19 October 2026.