What makes research in Germany different
These decide how much of the work is primary research rather than desk compilation.
The Mittelstand is under-covered everywhere
A large share of German engineering and industrial capability sits in privately held mid-sized firms that file minimally and whose staff have limited professional-network presence. Research built from platform data misses most of it.
Bundesanzeiger filings are the frame
German companies file to the Bundesanzeiger, which gives a usable corporate frame even where the employer is private. It is lagged, and abbreviated for smaller entities, but it is far better than nothing.
Tariff position changes what a pay figure means
Where a Tarifvertrag applies, pay is set by group and progression. Research that records a salary without recording whether the employer is tariff-bound has recorded a number without a frame.
Research is phone-led and German-language
The populations worth reaching answer the phone and ignore English email. German research is more labour-intensive per name than UK research, and that is the whole reason it produces something a database cannot.
GDPR plus the BDSG, strictly enforced
Sixteen state authorities alongside the federal commissioner. Professional fields only, sourced per field, documented legitimate-interests basis.
What is and is not researchable in Germany
Published because the most useful thing a research supplier can tell you is where the evidence runs out.
| Field | Availability | How we establish it |
|---|---|---|
| Current employer and level | Moderate | Lower professional-network coverage than the UK; phone research fills the gap |
| Mittelstand employer universe | Moderate to high | Bundesanzeiger plus chamber and association sources |
| Team structure | Moderate | Reconstructed by primary research |
| Tariff position | High | WSI collective agreement archive and employer research |
| Individual compensation | Low | Benchmarked at population level against the applicable agreement |
| Company financials | Moderate to high | Bundesanzeiger; abbreviated for small firms |
| Works council presence | Moderate | Researchable, and materially affects any plan |
Three ways to buy research capacity in Germany
| Model | Best for | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | A bounded population or employer set, delivered once | €3,200–€8,000 |
| Multi-market or programme research | Several markets, or a standing population refreshed through the year | €10,000–€30,000 |
| Dedicated researcher seat | Continuous capacity — a named researcher working only your briefs | €5,400–€9,500 per month |
What a Germany research engagement delivers
- A written research scope — the population, the employer universe, the fields to be captured and the explicit exclusions, agreed before fieldwork begins.
- The researched dataset — named individuals with employer, level, function, location and tenure, each field carrying its source and collection date.
- Verification to a stated standard — material findings corroborated against an independent second source, with confidence recorded where they could not be.
- A written analysis — what the data shows, what it rules out and what it could not establish.
- White-label output where you want it — delivered unbranded so it can go to your own client under your name.
- Permanent ownership — the dataset is yours, with no restriction on re-use, resale to your own client, or refresh by another provider.
Sectors we research in Germany
Deepest where the public record is thinnest.
- Technology, data and engineering — the populations most often researched and the ones where titles are least comparable.
- Financial and professional services — including regulated populations where status is a researchable field.
- Industrial and manufacturing — where public coverage is thinnest and primary research matters most.
- Life sciences and healthcare — including registration-constrained clinical populations.
- Energy, infrastructure and projects — project-cycle populations that move on programme rather than on tenure.
- Consumer, retail and logistics — commercial and operational functions across the supply chain.
What talent research costs in Germany
Fixed project fees or an agreed day rate — never a percentage of salary.
| Engagement | What it covers | Typical fee | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | A bounded population or employer set | €3,200–€8,000 | 2–4 weeks |
| Multi-market or programme research | Several markets, or a refreshed population | €10,000–€30,000 | 4–10 weeks |
| Dedicated researcher seat | A named researcher working only your briefs | €5,400–€9,500 per month | Rolling monthly |
German research costs more per name than UK research because it is phone-led and German-language. That is also precisely why it is worth commissioning: the part that is expensive is the part no database has done.
Every engagement is a fixed project fee or an agreed day rate, set before work begins. There is no commission, no percentage of salary and no placement fee, and the dataset is handed over permanently — including the right to sell it on to your own client.
German talent research FAQs
What is talent research in Germany?
The systematic identification and verification of people and employers in a defined german market: building the employer universe, identifying named individuals, confirming employer, level and location by primary research, and recording the source and date against every field.
What makes german research difficult?
The Mittelstand is the market, and it is barely in any database. That is the single factor that determines how much of the work is primary research rather than desk compilation, and therefore what it costs.
The detail is in the market structure section above, and in the table of what is and is not researchable here.
How much does talent research cost in Germany?
A defined research project typically costs €3,200–€8,000. A multi-market or programme engagement typically costs €10,000–€30,000. A dedicated researcher seat typically costs €5,400–€9,500 a month.
All are fixed project fees or agreed day rates set before work begins. There is no commission and no percentage of salary.
Can we buy research white-label?
Yes, and a large share of our research is delivered that way. Recruitment firms, search firms and consultancies buy research capacity from us and present it to their own clients under their own name.
Deliverables are unbranded by default, we never contact your client, and we do not approach the people in the dataset unless the brief asks us to.
How do you verify a record?
By corroborating each material finding against an independent second source. Two sources that both derive from the same original feed count as one, and we say so.
Where corroboration is not possible — common with privately held mid-sized employers — the record is still delivered but labelled single-sourced with the basis stated. We would rather hand over a smaller dataset we can stand behind.
Do you approach the people in the dataset?
Only if the brief asks. Research identifies and verifies; it does not contact. If you want people approached and qualified, that is talent sourcing, which is a different engagement with a different lawful basis and a different fee.
What is your lawful basis for processing this data?
Legitimate interests, supported by a documented balancing test, with collection limited to professional fields relevant to the agreed scope and a source recorded against each one.
We do not compile special category data against named individuals and we do not infer protected characteristics. The full position is on our GDPR compliance page.
How quickly can research start?
Scoping is a 30-minute call, with a written scope and a fixed fee within one working day. Fieldwork begins as soon as the scope is signed. There is no minimum term and no retainer requirement.
What is a researcher seat?
A named researcher retained monthly to work only your briefs, typically covering several in parallel. It suits recruitment and search firms with continuous demand, and in-house teams that need capacity without permanent headcount.
At that volume the cost per brief falls well below a per-project fee.
Do we own the data?
Permanently, and without restriction on re-use. You can load it into your own systems, refresh it with another provider, and — if you are a recruitment or search firm — sell it on to your own client. We do not resell client research.
How is this different from a data provider or a database?
A database licence gives you modelled data across everything, compiled from profiles and postings and inheriting whatever is stale or absent in them. Commissioned research gives you a verified dataset for your question, built now.
Both have a place. Where a database already answers the question, we will say so — the honest comparison is on our platforms compared page.
Primary sources and how we check
- Bundesanzeiger company filingsBundesanzeiger Verlag
- Arbeitsmarkt statisticsBundesagentur für Arbeit
- Earnings and labour costsDestatis
- WSI collective agreement archiveWSI, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung
- IAB labour market researchInstitut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung
- Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)Federal Ministry of Justice
Figures quoted on this page were checked against the sources above on 20 October 2026. Statutory rates, thresholds and quotas change: where a number drives a budget or a legal obligation, confirm it against the primary source before you rely on it.