Unemployment among graduates in Germany one year after leaving their institution is at 4% and below, compared with a seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate of 5.9%, according to a survey by HIS-HF, a higher education statistics agency. While 4% of graduates with the traditional diplom, magister or staatsexamen from a university or fachhochschule (university of applied science) are still without a job after one year, graduates with one of the new bachelor degrees appear to be doing even better, with a 2% unemployment rate for university and 3% for fachhochschul graduates.

The survey was carried out across Germany among more than 10,000 graduates from the examination cohort of 2009. Annette Schavan, the education minister, said: “Job prospects for higher education graduates are good. And they are going to get even better because of the lack of skilled labour.” The share of those taking up jobs below their qualification level is low, too, at just 3% of fachhochschul and 5% of university graduates. Kolja Briedis, who headed the survey project, said: “This means that compared with the cohort interviewed five years previously, in 2005, entering a profession appears to be working even better.”

In the period under review, pre-tax annual salaries for full-time employees appear to have risen substantially, as well. Average annual income for job-starters had been at around EUR33,000 (US$45,400), but was at EUR37,250 for fachhochschul graduates and EUR37,500 for university graduates in 2009. There were significant salary differentials, though, with medicine graduates topping the list at just under EUR50,000 and graduates in the humanities bringing up the rear, with EUR27,000.

One year after graduating, 77% of university bachelors and 53% of fachhochschul bachelors took up a further university course, usually a masters, with around 90% of them being able to study at an institution of their choice. Most bachelor graduates who were interviewed said they wished to go on studying because they were personally motivated to do so, and not because they were worried about being unemployed. Most of the bachelor graduates who did not go on to a further university course were successful with entering a profession, and just 7% of fachhochschul graduates were working in positions below their qualification level one year after graduating. At an average of EUR33,650, income for job-starters in this group was around 10% lower than among fachhochschul graduates with a diploma.

At universities, starters in economics with a bachelor degree were earning EUR33,000 on average, and those with a diplom EUR37,000. Successful graduation at a German university opens a range of opportunities in the German job market for international graduates. What is my best method of attack?

Graduates from the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) have free access to the German job market. By contrast, graduates from other countries are allowed to extend their residence permit for up to 18 months after completing their studies for the purpose of looking for employment. Incidentally, during this period you can work as much as you want. The 18 months start as soon as the final exam result has been issued in writing. So, anyone wanting to work in Germany after completing their studies should already start looking for a job in their final semester.

Compliance with the statutory provisions

The “Information on the Statutory Frameworks applicable to the Pursuit of Gainful Employment by Foreign Students, Academics and Scientists” leaflet provides more detailed information.

Consider what your skills are

The search for the perfect job starts with you. You should think about your own interests and skills before thinking about specific jobs. Questions that may help during this self-assessment:

Who am I?

What am I good at?

What do I want to do?

What is possible?

Many graduates only look for jobs that precisely match their course. A better approach would be to look at the bigger picture, consider related fields and transfer your knowledge. If you read job advertisements carefully, you will notice that companies are often looking for employees with certain skills, not a specific degree.

The university’s Career Centre can also help you launch your career. They help students and graduates make the transition from their studies to professional life. Career Centres help you organise your own situation and explore possible careers. They also check your application documents, hold information events and invite companies to hold presentations.

Seek an external opinion

You can also ask people close to you for their opinion. Or, you can ask for feedback from a professor or an internship supervisor. You can then compare your self-assessment with the external opinion. These opinions can often provide new perspectives.

Searching for and finding the right job

Once you are sure of your interests and skills you can start looking for a job. In order to know which jobs you want to consider, you will need to have specific expectations of a range of different jobs. Looking for potential employers during your course, completing internships and establishing professional contacts definitely provide an advantage. It gives you something to build on when you start looking for a job at the end of your course.

The university Career Centre should be your first port of call. They help to answer any questions about launching your career – and most have well-structured job exchanges. The Federal Employment Agency manages Germany’s largest online job portal and also provides an overview of the potential fields of employment. A range of other job portals are available on the Internet: general portals, such as www.monster.de and www.stepstone.de, as well as specific websites. The Absolventa job portal specifically targets students, graduates and young professionals. The ZEIT portal provides more academic job offers.

Newspapers are of course another important tool. The Science Shop Bonn collects job advertisements for scholars in the “Arbeitsmarkt” magazine every week. Or you can have a look at the websites of companies that you find particularly interesting to check whether they have any vacancies. A whole range of job and career fairs are also held, which you can find out about in the Radar job fair.

Social networks for professional contacts are also popular in Germany – for example www.xing.de or www.linkedin.com. These networks let you create a professional profile and establish contacts with companies that are looking for new employees.

Correctly assessing your job prospects

It always takes time and effort to find the right job. But, thanks to the good economic situation in Germany, university graduates looking for work generally have very good prospects. Added to this is the fact that there is a lack of skilled employees in many regions and professions. The fields of mathematics, IT, natural sciences and technology as well as other areas, such as the health sector, are experiencing particular shortages.

This means that, depending on the sector, you have a good chance of finding a job. You can find more information on the actual figures on the “Portal zur Fachkräfte-Offensive”. The welcome portal “Make it in Germany” provides information on the job opportunities in Germany as well as an overview of life in Germany.

Better opportunities with a good knowledge of German

Your chances of finding a job in Germany are generally much better if you have a good knowledge of German. Exceptions include large, multinational companies and scientific research institutes.