Hamburg – October 29, 2026 -- Hamburg-based matching platform Vitalent says it has filled more than 1,000 positions at over 600 healthcare companies, charging employers only when a hire is made. The company reports that 93% of its projects produce a placement within the first twelve weeks that survives the six-month probation period.
PwC forecast puts 1.8 million healthcare vacancies by 2035
PwC projects that around 1.8 million positions in German healthcare could remain unfilled by 2035. Practices, care services and clinics already face job ads without responses and recruiters without results, according to Vitalent. Employers have also reported paying several thousand euros per placement only to see the new hire leave during probation.
Vitalent shows employers matching CVs before they sign a contract
Nurses, medical assistants (MFA), dental assistants (ZFA) and therapists register on the platform anonymously and free of charge. Vitalent presents suitable employers to the candidate, not the reverse. Recruiters screen qualifications, German language skills, location, salary expectations and document authenticity by phone before any handover. Only candidates who explicitly request an interview reach the employer.
Employers see matching regional CVs in a free initial consultation, before any contract. According to the company, first profiles arrive right after project start, first interviews after about two weeks and the hire after about six weeks. New clients spend roughly one hour on requirements and job presentation before the first interview.
Fee equals one to two monthly salaries, with free replacement in probation
No hire means no cost. On success, the fee is typically one to two monthly salaries, depending on region, role and working hours. If a placed professional leaves within the six-month probation period, Vitalent restarts the search at no charge. The guarantee is set out in writing.
Founder Lars Vollrath said the model is built so the financial risk sits with Vitalent rather than the employer, following employers' repeated bad experiences with recruiters.
Client cases: three weeks for a cardiology practice, 18 sites for a care chain
- An outpatient care service in Lower Saxony hired a nursing director and a nurse within seven weeks, after earlier agencies and social media campaigns had failed.
- A cardiology practice in Augsburg filled an MFA position in three weeks, after previous recruiters had presented candidates with mismatched German or professional skills.
- A dental practice in Leipheim hired two ZFA in six weeks.
- A physiotherapy practice in Kaiserslautern hired one physiotherapist in six weeks.
- A residential care chain with 18 sites in five federal states runs searches for all locations and has received hundreds of applicants. Search mandates, once created, can be reactivated at any time.
The performance figures and client cases come from Vitalent's own reporting and have not been independently verified.