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Skills in Demand in Berlin

Berlin isn’t exactly famous for its industry, so outside of the creative arts, it can be hard to know what kinds of roles are available in Berlin. We did a little digging and have come up with a list of skills that are in demand.

This is a good list to check before you start hunting for a job in Berlin. It’ll give you a good idea of the likelihood of being able to find what you’re looking for and how common the companies and job types that you’re interested in might be. You should also finish this article with a good idea of the kind of competition you can expect to face.

Skills in demand in Berlin startups

The booming startup scene in Berlin has added thousands of jobs to the mix over the last decade, and that influx of available positions is showing no sign of slowing down. With new companies being founded daily, and older startups finally becoming established, there really is a broad mix of the kinds of jobs available. Here are some of the most in-demand fields.

IT & Software Development

Jobs in software development of any kind are plentiful right now and regardless of the language you code in, or whether you’re in frontend, backend, or mobile app development, talented engineers are being snapped up. If you’re in IT right now, you shouldn’t have any problem finding available jobs. The struggle is in deciding exactly which one is right for you.

Marketing / Communications

Savvy marketers are always needed by tech companies and there’s no shortage of great marketing jobs in Berlin. Whether it’s copywriting, content marketing, performance marketing, PR, or email marketing and customer relationship management, there’s a lot of marketing jobs on offer in Berlin.

Design / UX / UI

Software can be amazing functionally, but if it doesn’t look great, it’s going to have a limited market. That’s why jobs in product design, UX/UI design, and graphic design are on the rise. Be prepared to strut your stuff to beat the competition.

Sales

Someone needs to bring in the customers! Given the international nature of the city, there are lots of jobs in sales in Berlin. While sales salaries are usually lower than other roles because sales associates tend to work on commission, this is a good toe in the door for multilinguals.

Finance

And who’s looking after the books? As startups grow, CEOs can no longer handle all of the bookkeeping within their companies. That’s where you come in, and all of the many great finance jobs in Berlin.

Customer Support

If you’ve got a customer-facing product, you need to make sure they’re as happy as can be. Many startups employ multilingual customer support agents and it’s a wonderful way to find a rewarding — and no doubt, sometimes challenging — job in a Berlin startup.

Operations

Whether it’s office management or event organisation or keeping the internal team happy, every office needs someone who can keep everything running smoothly. If you want to make an instant impact on a team, operations roles are the ones to snap up.

HR & Recruiting

Startups are famous for their focus on hiring the best people and for fomenting the kind of office culture that makes people want to stay at the company long-term. That’s where recruiting and HR comes in. If you care about helping companies find great people and helping people find jobs that stretch their skills and make them feel fulfilled, then this is where you should direct your search.

Skills in demand for non-startup jobs in Berlin

According to reports released by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Germany’s federal employment agency, Germany is suffering from a shortage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) graduates. As such, there are many unfilled positions in IT, in research and development, and in engineering. Statistically, people qualified in any of these fields are likely to be offered permanent contracts and earn competitive salaries.

Germany needs more doctors. Health professionals are highly in demand, with an estimated shortage of 5,000 doctors at time of writing.

Germany is also in need of care workers, with a particular demand for those who work in geriatric care.

Construction workers, tradespeople, and other vocational workers are also highly sought after in Germany. If making the world better for other people is your game, then you’re likely to be able to find a great job in Berlin. Civil service jobs are also great if you can get them but you will need native-level German to be in with a chance.

As Berlin’s a very artistic city, there are also lots of jobs in arts organisations. However, many of these are poorly paid and highly sought-after so it’s a good idea to identify exactly who you want to work for before you try to convince them to hire you.

Hospitality is also a huge employer in Berlin, with a host of great cafés, bars and restaurants always looking for people who know how to provide great service.

Perhaps best of all though, Berlin is a place where people come to start their own businesses or personal projects. If none of the above are for you, why not make your own dream come true, instead of working toward someone else’s?!


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