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Job Market Research›Germany›Social Policy & Social Work

Social Policy & Social Work jobs in Germany for international graduates

Check the job market before you choose the course.Real jobs and pay for your field, and how to stay on to work.

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Social Policy & Social WorkSocial Sciences · Germany
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Job market at a glance

The jobs Social Policy & Social Work leads to, added together. Each label compares Social Policy & Social Work with the other German fields.

New vacancies / month vs last year+3.9% WeakBA
New vacancies / month568 StrongBA
Average pay€63,300 WeakBA
Entry-level pay€54,400 ModerateBA
Growth to 2040+1.6% WeakBIBB
Change since Dec 2024+4.2% StrongBA
People in these jobs93,858 StrongBA
Jobs on the shortage list47% ModerateBA

People in these jobs: employees paying social insurance (civil servants and the self-employed are not counted).

Jobs this degree leads to

The jobs Social Policy & Social Work courses most often lead to in Germany, and how each one is doing.

JobShareAverage pay BAEntry pay BAGrowth to 2040 BIBBNew vacancies / month BAvs last year
1.Occupations in public administration (without specialisation)-highly complex tasks€74,496€62,640-3.8%418-7.6%
2.Pedagogic specialists in social care work and special needs education-complex tasks€54,300€48,624+2.1%515+15.2%
3.Occupations in social work and social pedagogics-highly complex tasks€59,964€51,624+2.1%1,751+4.5%
4.Occupations in social work and social pedagogics-complex tasks€58,224€50,244+2.1%20-9.2%
5.Occupations in sociology-highly complex tasks€68,472€56,040+20%75+0.3%
6.Occupations in social, educational and addiction counselling-highly complex tasks€57,108€47,760+2.1%16+1.9%
7.Supervisors in education and social work, and of pedagogic specialists in social care work€66,972€59,496+2.1%51-0.2%
8.Managers in education and social work, and of pedagogic specialists in social care work€70,272€59,376+2.1%140%

Share: how common each job is among Social Policy & Social Work destinations. Entry pay: lower-quartile pay, a guide to starting salaries. New vacancies / month: vacancies newly registered with the Federal Employment Agency over the last 12 months, per month (about half of all vacancies are registered). Swipe the table sideways for more.

What graduates like you earned

What master's-level jobs in Social work pay (jobs that need at least a four-year degree), for full-time employees of all ages. Germany publishes no pay figures by degree subject.

Master's-level jobs in Germanymedian, full time, 2025 · estimated from the BA's West and East figures€60,200 BA
All jobs, workers aged 25–29median, full time — a guide to early-career pay€48,095 Destatis

Foreign-born graduates working full time in Germany earned 89% of what German-born graduates earned (2019) OECD. Pay is published for the job done, not the degree held, and includes special payments such as a 13th month.

Staying to work after you graduate

How international students stay to work in Germany after studying Social Policy & Social Work.

1
Finish your course

A master's or a PhD from a German university.

2
Job-search residence permit
up to 18 months AufenthG

to look for a job in Germany after graduating. You can work in any job while you look. It cannot be extended.

3
Work permit

EU Blue Card: for a job that matches your degree, paying at least €50,700 a year. Within 3 years of your degree the minimum is €45,934 in any occupation, with the Federal Employment Agency's approval.

Skilled-worker permit: for any job that matches your qualification, with no salary minimum (a minimum applies if you are 45 or older).

Permanent residence: after 27 months on a Blue Card, or 21 months with good German (B1). As a skilled worker with a German degree, after 2 years.

Typical pay in Social Policy & Social Work jobs vs the Blue Card salary for recent graduates AufenthG
€63,300
typical payminimum €45,934
Social Policy & Social Work jobs on Germany's shortage list BA47%

Social Policy & Social Work in other countries

Typical pay for the same jobs (in US dollars in brackets, at June 2026 exchange rates), projected growth, and post-study work after a master's.

Germany€63,300 ($73,700)Growth +1.6% (2023–40) · 18 monthsUnited Kingdom£42,700 ($57,500)Growth +11.2% (2025–35) · Graduate visa 18 monthsUnited States$75,500Growth +6.9% (2025–35) · OPT 12 months, 36 with the STEM extensionCanadaCA$78,700 ($56,700)Growth +19.9% (2023–33) · PGWP up to 36 monthsAustraliaAU$112,500 ($80,300)Growth +23.2% (2025–35) · 24 monthsIreland€45,100 ($52,500)Growth +5.1% (2025–28) · Stamp 1G 24 months

Questions students ask

How much do Social Policy & Social Work graduates earn in Germany?

Master's-level jobs in Social work pay a median €60,200 a year (full time, 2025). Across all jobs, workers aged 25–29 earn a median €48,095. Across all workers in these jobs, typical pay is €63,300 and starting pay about €54,400.

Is Social Policy & Social Work in demand in Germany?

Employers registered about 568 new vacancies a month for these jobs in September 2026, 3.9% more than a year earlier. Employment in these jobs is projected to grow 1.6% from 2023 to 2040.

Can I stay and work in Germany after a Social Policy & Social Work master's?

Yes, for up to 18 months on a job-search residence permit after graduating. To stay longer, an EU Blue Card needs pay of at least €45,934 a year within 3 years of your degree (€50,700 after that). 47% of these jobs are on Germany's shortage list.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure comes from an official German source. Tap a source tag next to any number for its details.

Beschäftigte nach Berufen (KldB 2010) — employees subject to social insurance by occupation and requirement levelStatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — reproduction with source credit; used for non-commercial educational purposes · loaded 28 Sept 2026
Arbeitsmarkt nach Berufen (Monatszahlen) — registered vacancies by occupation (KldB 2010), rolling 12-month inflowStatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — reproduction with source credit; used for non-commercial educational purposes · loaded 5 Oct 2026
Blickpunkt Arbeitsmarkt: Akademikerinnen und Akademiker — median monthly pay of full-time employees in expert-level jobs by field (Figure 1.6-2)Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — reproduction with source credit; used for non-commercial educational purposes · loaded 28 Sept 2026
German post-study and work residence rules — Aufenthaltsgesetz and Blue Card salary thresholds (manually verified)Federal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de); Federal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesanzeiger) — transcribed and verified by UNIFER · Official legal texts (not subject to copyright, § 5 UrhG) · loaded 28 Sept 2026
Fachkräfteengpassanalyse — shortage occupations by occupation and requirement levelStatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — reproduction with source credit; used for non-commercial educational purposes · loaded 28 Sept 2026
Statistischer Bericht Verdienste — gross annual pay of full-time employees by age (table 62361-05)Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · Destatis — reproduction and distribution permitted with source credit · loaded 28 Sept 2026
QuBe projection, 8th wave — people in employment by occupation group 2023–2040 (BIBB-Report 1/2024, Table 4)Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB) and Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · loaded 28 Sept 2026
Entgeltatlas — median and quartile gross monthly pay of full-time employees by occupation (KldB 2010)Bundesagentur für Arbeit · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — reproduction with source credit; used for non-commercial educational purposes · loaded 28 Sept 2026

Indicative figures from official German sources. They describe groups of graduates and workers, not what any individual will earn or be offered. Visa rules change — check make-it-in-germany.com before you decide.