Soft Skills Gain Prominence in German Job Market

A recent analysis by The Stepstone Group reveals a significant increase in the demand for soft skills in German job postings since 2019. Skills such as teamwork, flexibility, and reliability are now essential in nearly every second job. Notably, reliability has seen an astounding rise of 354% in mentions from 2019 to 2025, highlighting a shift in employer priorities.

In 2025, 45% of all jobs listed on Stepstone.de explicitly required soft skills, up from 25% in 2019. Employers, amid economic uncertainties, are seeking adaptable and reliable employees. Teamwork tops the list of desired soft skills, featured in 40% of relevant job listings, followed by flexibility, communication skills, and reliability.

The study also notes the solid grounding of AI jobs in the German market. However, the required qualifications are evolving, with emerging skills like "MLOps" and "AI strategy" gaining traction, while traditional data-oriented skills decline in demand.