Career-changers, known as ‘Quereinsteiger’ in Germany, are more sought after than ever before in the German job market. The findings of a new survey highlight a growing openness to diverse professional backgrounds.

Around 65 percent of HR managers now believe that Quereinsteiger (career-changers) drive innovation in companies – a major rise from just 43 percent the previous year, according to a new survey by the market research institute Appinio for the jobs network Xing.

The same study found that 61 percent of HR professionals see Quereinsteiger as key to alleviating Germany’s skilled labour shortage.

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