Off sick for up to ten years: What lies behind Germany's teacher shortage
Germany is facing an acute teacher shortage as schools begin the new academic year with staff vacancies, long-term sick leave and rising student numbers. Several states are struggling to provide enough teachers for all classes.
The shortage is particularly serious in subjects such as mathematics, computer science, physics and chemistry. Special-needs education, art and music are also affected. Germany’s federal states are trying to fill the gaps by creating additional positions, recruiting career changers and offering financial incentives, but the problem remains widespread.
The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK) estimates that Germany could be short of around 27,000 fully qualified teachers. Brandenburg is among the states facing serious difficulties, with Education Minister Gordon Hoffmann warning that some schools may struggle to guarantee regular timetables, particularly in rural areas.
Long-term sickness is making the situation even more difficult. In Berlin, 380 teachers have been absent for at least one year, including 18 who have been on sick leave for at least a decade. Primary schools are particularly affected, with 98 teachers among those on long-term sick leave.
North Rhine-Westphalia is also under pressure. Despite having more than 166,000 teaching positions, over 7,770 remain vacant. Teachers who remain at work are often required to take on additional duties, increasing workloads and potentially putting further pressure on staff.
The problem extends beyond individual states. In Hesse, around 225 teachers have been absent for at least a year, while in North Rhine-Westphalia teachers missed an average of 8.43% of working days because of illness in 2025. In Saxony-Anhalt, about 8.6% of lessons were cancelled during the 2024/25 school year because replacement teachers were unavailable.
Germany is also facing an ageing teaching workforce. More than 35% of teachers at general education schools were aged 50 or older during the 2024/25 school year, while more than 10% were already at least 60. This means many teachers are expected to retire in the coming years, potentially worsening the shortage.
At the same time, student numbers are rising. The KMK expects the number of pupils to increase from just under 11.2 million in 2024 to almost 11.8 million by 2032. Although numbers are expected to decline later, around 11.3 million pupils could still be in Germany’s education system by 2040, leaving the country with a major challenge: replacing retiring teachers while dealing with long-term absences and recruiting enough new staff.