Objective and approach

Since 2008, the DEKRA Labor Market Report has investigated each year which professions and qualifications are particularly in demand. For this purpose, the contents of job advertisements are analyzed at the end of each February. The current analysis included 9,301 randomly selected job advertisements from two online job portals, published between February 22 and 28, 2026 (50 % Stepstone, 50 % the job exchange of the Federal Employment Agency).

In addition to the overview analysis, two professional groups are the focus of more detailed analyses. This year, professional drivers and office clerks were selected. The full texts of 350 job advertisements were analyzed for each. The goal of the job-specific analyses is to gather insights into the duties of and requirements for job seekers in these areas.

In an excursus, we look at the changed conditions in the defense industry. In addition to general research, we surveyed three experts from companies about how they are mastering the new challenges in their personnel strategy.

Diversity is important to us. Where possible, we use both the male and female forms in our texts. However, all genders (m/f/d) are included without any intent to discriminate. The chosen form serves solely to improve the clarity and readability of the content.