What is the proportion of persons in employment who work in occupations requiring a higher qualification? Examined are persons in employment aged 15 to 64 years who work as professionals, as specialists in highly qualified occupations (for example in the technology or health sector) or as legislators, senior officials and managers.
This includes occupations learned at universities of applied sciences, vocational academies or full-time vocational schools.
A typical feature of highly qualified occupations is that they require specialised knowledge in the field concerned. People largely have to structure their work flows themselves and often the work involves the supervision of employees.
Almost half of the persons in employment have higher qualified occupation
In 2023, 47.3% of the persons in employment aged 15 to 64 years worked in a higher qualified occupation. Those men and women were for example executives in companies or authorities, performed scientific jobs, or worked as programmers, engineers, doctors, social scientists, teachers, technicians, physiotherapists, detective superintendents or social education workers.
Women working more often in higher qualified occupations
Women worked more often than men in occupations requiring a higher qualification. 50.4% of the women in employment had such jobs, compared with 44.5% of the men. The higher share among women is due to the relatively large number of female teachers, as well as medical and technical assistants. In contrast, the proportion of men in management positions was more than twice as high.
| Qualification level | Total | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Persons in highly qualified occupations perform a job in ISCO Major Groups 1-3. Source: Labour Force Survey. | |||
| Management and executives (ISCO 1) | 4.3 | 2.6 | 5.7 |
| Academic professions (ISCO 2) | 23.0 | 24.8 | 21.5 |
| Technicians and equivalent non-technical professions (ISCO 3) | 20.0 | 23.0 | 17.3 |
| Highly qualified occupations in total (ISCO 1-3) | 47.3 | 50.4 | 44.5 |
By age groups, it can be expected that in the youngest group of 15-24 year olds, show the lowest proportion of the working population in highly qualified occupations. Their share is highest in the age group of 25-34 and 35-44 year olds (more than 50%). In the older age groups, it is more than 40%. The already mentioned difference between men and women is also significant here. Women are already found to an above-average extent in highly qualified occupations at a younger age of up to 35 years, which is related to their choice of occupation and the associated qualification level.
| Age in years | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Female | Male | |
| 1: Persons in highly qualified occupations perform a job in ISCO major groups 1-3. Source: Labour Force Survey. | |||
| 15 to 24 | 34.6 | 43.5 | 27.0 |
| 25 to 34 | 53.8 | 61.3 | 47.5 |
| 35 to 44 | 52.2 | 55.9 | 49.0 |
| 45 to 54 | 46.5 | 47.6 | 45.6 |
| 55 to 64 | 43.0 | 41.5 | 44.3 |
| Total | 47.3 | 50.4 | 44.5 |
Higher qualified occupations becoming ever more important
In the last 20 years, the share of persons in employment with higher qualified jobs has increased markedly. In 2003, it had been 40.7% and 47.3% in 2023. This increase is caused by a growth in persons working as professionals (+9.2 percentage points).
The share of young persons in employment with higher qualified jobs aged up to 25 years (who generally have not finished studies yet) rose considerably, too. It increased by 9 percentage points from 2003 to 2023. This is due to the growing relevance of occupations in the medical-technical or the educational sector requiring a higher qualification. Also, the proportion of young people among professionals increased slightly, which is probably a result of shorter study periods.
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of persons in employment (15-64 years) with occupations in ISCO major groups 1, 2, or 3 in all persons in employment (15-64 years).
Source
Labour Force Survey
Information to the interpretation
A break in the time series is visible in 2012 due to the introduction of the new International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08).
The microcensus with the integrated European labour force survey has been redesigned in 2020. The list of questions and the concept of the sample survey were modified, and with the introduction of an online questionnaire, the form of data collection were also changed. The results from survey year 2020 onward are therefore comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent.
Further methodological changes affecting the results were performed in 2005, 2011 and 2021. Consequently, the results for those years can be compared with the results for previous years to a limited extent only.
The extrapolation of microcensus data uses the population figures from the 2011 Census, which was conducted as at 9 May 2011. The results have been revised from 2010 onwards. With effect from the year 2016, the sample is based on the 2011 census data. This transition affects the comparability of the results with previous years.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).
Further information
Redesigned microcensus as of 2020