It is a bearer of hope for the German and European industry: according to the German Medical Technology Association (BVMed), the German medical technology sector is in second place after the USA with a 9.9% share of the global market, ahead of China and Japan.
Even if turnover in 2024 has only increased by around 1.6% compared to the previous year, it still amounts to €41 billion. The industry employs more than 200,000 people, making it one of the ‘most influential sub-sectors of the healthcare industry.’
Growth is therefore comparatively high, the majority of companies are SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and in a survey conducted by BVMed in autumn 2024, 74% of the companies surveyed said that jobs are secure or will be expanded.
The MedTech industry is therefore attractive for employees.
However, the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the energy and raw materials crisis since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine are causing major difficulties for the industry. In addition, medical technology, like the pharmaceutical industry, has to deal with volatile supply chains, excessive regulations such as the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and digital transformation. The handling of data is also an important topic.
The Hans Böckler Foundation has compiled an industry analysis of medical technology and identifies important points that should be considered both economically and politically.
The shortage of skilled labour in medical technology
The shortage of skilled labour in the healthcare sector also affects the medical technology industry. Precisely because over 90% of German companies are SMEs, not as many resources can be mobilised as in large global corporations. According to the Hans Böckler Foundation's medical technology sector analysis, internationally networked companies are much better able to compensate for bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles and invest in digitalisation on a large scale. For smaller companies, the lack of personnel can also jeopardise their existence.
The German Medical Technology Association is therefore calling on politicians to take measures to improve working conditions in the healthcare sector. Digital solutions and care-supporting technologies can help here and should be specifically promoted. This would also strengthen the medical technology sector.
The attractiveness for international professionals should be increased through simple recognition procedures, integration offers and internationalisation of administrative procedures (English forms, language skills).
At the same time, recruitment for jobs in medical technology should be cross-sectoral in order to counter the staff shortage. According to BVmed, the following qualifications are particularly sought after:
Lateral entry - potential and knowledge transfer
Career changers offer every industry the opportunity to think outside the box. This can be particularly enriching for medical technology because it is also an interdisciplinary industry between medicine and technology. Or as Ingenieur.de summarises:
‘Dozens of professions are involved in the development of a magnetic resonance tomograph alone. These include software developers, doctors, physicists, data analysts, but also mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, mechatronics engineers and requirement engineers.’
Engineers can switch from the aerospace and automotive industries to medical technology. The machine technology and quality requirements are similar. It is ‘only’ important to learn the complex regulations and production conditions. Companies can offer further training for this or utilise existing courses: To support the transformation from the combustion engine to e-mobility, for example, the Nuremberg cluster has a funding programme that also supports knowledge transfer to medical technology: 'Automotive Industry meets Healthcare'.
In order to manage these regulatory affairs, people from the pharmaceutical industry or biotechnology can switch to a medical technology company because they already know how to deal with them.
The above-mentioned Medical Device Regulation (EU) (MDR) and the In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (EU) (IVDR), for example, create hurdles for companies and employees, but also protect data and applications. Cybersecurity of medical devices as part of IT security in the healthcare sector is the motto of the Association of German Electrical Engineers (VDE) and provides an overview of current guidelines. Electrical engineers are also represented in medical technology and can be recruited from other sectors.
In turn, digital processes are increasingly being used to ensure and maintain cybersecurity. The same applies to research and development or medical devices and patient care. A study on digitalisation in medical technology by the VDI (Association of German Engineers) bundles current trends and speaks of an ‘Internet of Medical Things’ (IoMT) that is emerging. As in other sectors, IT specialists are desperately needed for this. Software development, robotics and imaging processes, cyber security and supply chains can and must be increasingly supported by them.
In turn, a trained nursing specialist can be an asset with their professional experience. For applicants, as in this example, it is sometimes attractive to swap the complex working conditions of the hospital for regular working hours. Although there is no direct contact with patients, medical technology is still said to play a 'significant role in the increase in the life expectancy'.
Employees in civil engineering could be interested in medical technology for the same reasons. The diverse combination of medical application and technology creates a great incentive. This motivation can be a decisive factor for many candidates from a wide variety of industries to switch to medical technology. Using the example of hospitals, it was shown here that the idealism of working for the benefit of people often makes a switch to the healthcare industry interesting.
For companies, industry newcomers offer innovative perspectives, different problem-solving approaches and practical experience. Integrating them requires some attention, but can work well.
Best practices for integration (6-point plan)
The hurdles to employment in medical technology should of course be communicated at an early stage.
- The advantages and disadvantages can be addressed by an experienced personnel consultant (colloquially known as a ‘headhunter’) during the recruitment process. They can also cover different sectors at the same time.
- At the same time, job adverts on various job portals or social media should be targeted at candidates from different sectors. Medical technology can also take inspiration from hospitals when dealing with social media.
- Well thought-out employer branding with company benefits such as family friendliness, similar to the benefits in hospital, should already be communicated in the job advert
- A mentoring and (possibly also digitally) designed programme for newcomers, similar to onboarding in hospitals, can ultimately facilitate arrival and support cross-industry knowledge transfer
- The current regulations should be learnt in further training courses. Training courses such as BVmed: Introduction to the regulatory requirements of the medical device industry can also be used for this purpose.
- For international candidates and also for the international market, everything from the job advertisement to the company profile should also be offered in English.
However, it is not only new candidates from other industries who are attracted by a company's job offers and training programmes. Long-standing employees also benefit from this and are strengthened in their loyalty to the company.
Every change should be well communicated in the sense of transformational or open company management so as not to unsettle the workforce. This also applies to new employees from other sectors. It also appeals to a young generation that pays more attention to their work-life balance and respects flat hierarchies.
With these measures, medical technology companies not only have the opportunity to successfully integrate specialists from other sectors. At the same time, the workforce remains up to date, is involved in communication and can ultimately arm itself for international competition. India is also gaining ground in medical technology. In view of changing geopolitical circumstances and international competition, this can strengthen European medical technology.
Conclusion
The recruitment of specialists from other industries should be placed in the hands of experienced headhunters.They, in turn, can convince potential candidates of the advantages of switching industries.
If the right further training and in-house requirements are met, any specialist from another industry is an asset to a medical technology company.This is because they bring different perspectives and solutions and may be highly motivated.This can counteract the shortage of skilled labour and help German medical technology to grow more strongly again.
