New Civey Survey: Three out of Four Employees See the German Pharmaceutical Industry as an Attractive Employer

Although the number of unemployed people in Germany rose above the three-million mark in August for the first time in ten years, there are also initial signs of economic recovery. The competition among industries for skilled workers will continue.

The German pharmaceutical industry enters this competition with a clear advantage: 76.5% of employees, students, and trainees consider the sector an attractive employer. This is the result of a recent Civey survey commissioned by Pharma Deutschland (as of 31.08.2025).

“The consistently high attractiveness of our industry is a positive signal in two respects,” explains Dorothee Brakmann, CEO of Pharma Deutschland. “It helps companies recruit urgently needed specialists. At the same time, the strong approval shows that pharma, as a key industry, is not only economically successful but also of central macroeconomic importance.”

What is particularly striking is the broad approval: East Germans (75.7%) and West Germans (76.7%) rate the industry almost equally positively. Gender differences are also minor – 72.9% of women and 79.8% of men consider the pharmaceutical industry an attractive employer.

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the pillars of the German economy. With around 140,000 direct employees and over 600,000 jobs along the value chains, it is a major employer. Companies also invest more than eight billion euros annually in research and development, making the pharmaceutical industry one of the most research-intensive sectors in Germany. Its importance for foreign trade is also significant: with an export volume of over 100 billion euros, the industry makes a substantial contribution to the trade balance.