The Stepstone Group

Press release
Analysis of over 4 million job ads shows: Share of entry-level job postings in Q1 2025 is 45% below the five-year average Vocational training has the edge? University graduates send significantly more applications Fewer entry-level jobs in traditional office roles, increase in people-facing professions Düsseldorf, August 12, 2025 – Entering the job market currently requires a great deal of patience, according to a recent Stepstone analysis of more than four million job ads from January 2020 to April 2025. After peaking in 2021, the share of entry-level positions has fallen sharply since 2023 compared to the total number of jobs on Stepstone.de. In Q1 2025, the share is 45% below the 2020–2025 average – even lower than during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. An overview of the results can be found in the PDF document linked above or in the Stepstone Newsroom.

“For many young people, the situation is now more difficult than it was two or three years ago,” says Dr Tobias Zimmermann, labor market expert at The Stepstone Group. “We are going through a period of economic weakness, but the shortage of skilled workers persists. Demographic change will make the labor market noticeably tighter in just a few years. That is why the rule holds true: those who invest in young talent today secure decisive competitive advantages for tomorrow.”

Vocational training has advantages: graduates submit far more applications

Young university graduates currently face even greater challenges than peers with vocational training, according to a recent Stepstone survey of 260 entry-level candidates. Graduates under 30 send a median of 40 applications before securing a job interview – vocational training graduates reach the same goal with just 26 applications. Despite the higher effort on the graduates’ side, both groups receive an average of only three to four interview invitations.

The time investment also differs: graduates spend an average of seven hours on an application process, vocational training graduates five. Particularly frustrating: 74% of graduates report experiencing ghosting – receiving no feedback at all during the hiring process. Among vocational training graduates, 61% have had this experience.

Shift in entry-level jobs: people-facing roles more in demand than administrative work

Opportunities for entry-level positions also vary widely by industry and profession. Since 2022, the share of entry-level jobs has dropped sharply in traditional administrative and data-processing roles such as sales (-56%), HR (-50%), administration (-34%) and customer service (-20%). By contrast, jobs with a high degree of direct human interaction have seen clear growth, for example in education (+96%) and skilled trades (+52%).

“Young people should not give up. Youth unemployment remains very low by European standards, and demographic change will increase the long-term value of their labor,” says Zimmermann. “Digitalization and economic transformation are creating new, high-quality jobs, even as the number of workers declines. Employers face the challenge of preparing young talent for tomorrow’s labor market – that requires new skill profiles in training, such as the ability to work with AI tools, navigate digital environments, and adapt confidently to change.”

About the analysis                              
This special analysis is based on more than 4 million job ads on Stepstone.de from January 2020 to April 2025. Entry-level jobs were identified using terms such as “trainee”, “entry-level”, “graduate” or “completed vocational training”. The share of these ads in the total job offering was then calculated and compared to the average of the past five years to illustrate developments in this segment.

About the survey
The survey results come from the current Stepstone “Hiring Efficiency” study, which analysed around 260 active jobseekers under 30 with either vocational training or a university degree. The data is part of a broader online survey conducted between 25 June and 2 July 2025, with a total of 4,023 employees and 308 recruiters in Germany taking part. The candidate sample is representative of the German workforce in terms of age, gender and educational background.

Über The Stepstone Group 
The Stepstone Group is a leading global digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. AI-driven job marketplaces and programmatic-powered marketing solutionsconnect about 140 million job applications with more than 130,000 employers every year. In 2024, The Stepstone Group generated revenue of over €900 million. The Stepstone Group operates in more than 30 countries - including Stepstone in Germany, Appcast in the USA and Totaljobs in the UK. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany and employs about 3,000 people worldwide. For more information: www.thestepstonegroup.com/english 

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