Job centers in crisis: Further training courses are often a waste of time!

Job centers in crisis: Further training courses are often a waste of time!

The situation on the labor market in Germany is currently anything but rosy. As of November 2025, around 2.885 million people were unemployed, meaning an alarming unemployment rate of 6.3 percent - the highest level in the last decade. Placement in wage work is becoming increasingly difficult: only one in 16 unemployed people has been able to find a new job in the past twelve months, which increases the skepticism of many towards the job centers' offers. ndr.de reports that ...

In order to counteract this worrying situation, the federal government has made an impressive 3.4 billion euros available from the federal budget for further training courses for 2025. This total represents a significant increase compared to previous years. The job centers offer 166,000 course offerings via the “mein-now” platform, all of which are organized by private educational providers, of which there are more than 8,000 in Germany. But behind these numbers there is often an unsatisfactory reality.

Further training under the microscope

The costs for further training often range between 10,000 and 20,000 euros per person and are usually financed through education vouchers. Around 300,000 such vouchers were approved in 2024. However, many participants report dissatisfaction with the quality of the courses: lack of supervision and inadequate instruction are common complaints. Many feel left alone and have to continue their education through self-study, which does not achieve the competence and desired knowledge.

What is particularly worrying is the fact that dropping out of courses is often avoided as this can lead to reductions in participants' performance. The examination of educational institutions is carried out by private sector “expert bodies”, but certification by the German Accreditation Body (DaKKs) says little about the actual quality. This could explain why many providers are looking for ways to generate more money while reputable providers are under pressure.

Social fraud and problem solving

In addition to the existing challenges, the job centers in North Rhine-Westphalia are taking action against the so-called “citizen money mafia”, while social fraud has been uncovered in Hamburg. Advice centers have already documented over 3,700 problem cases with offices and authorities, which shows how messy the situation is for many of those affected. Although the lowest unemployment rate of the year was recorded in Hamburg, dissatisfaction with the existing further training opportunities remains high.

Given these circumstances, it becomes clear that job centers and educational institutions have a duty to actually create effective and high-quality offerings. The labor market needs sustainable solutions and support so that people have real prospects for their professional future. You can find out more about the topic and the current statistics at arbeitsagentur.de.