The need for care is growing faster than the number of available workers. At the end of 2023, around 5.7 million (Federal Statistical Office) people in Germany were in need of care, up 15 percent (Federal Statistical Office) on 2021. By 2049, depending on the scenario, between 280,000 (Federal Statistical Office) and 690,000 (Federal Statistical Office) care workers could be missing. In this environment every single application matters - and this is exactly where many care services lose candidates unnecessarily. After all, 58 percent (softgarden) of respondents have abandoned an application at some point even though the position interested them. A low-barrier quick application without a cover letter on your own career page starts precisely there. This article shows how interest turns into a submitted application.
Key takeaways
- 58 percent (softgarden) of respondents have abandoned an application even though the position appealed to them - triggers are too many mandatory fields, a forced login, a required cover letter or a form that fails on a phone.
- At the end of 2023 Germany counted about 5.7 million (Federal Statistical Office) people in need of care, 15 percent (Federal Statistical Office) more than in 2021; by 2049 between 280,000 and 690,000 (Federal Statistical Office) care workers will be missing.
- A first contact needs only a name, a way to reach the person and the desired role. The cover letter goes, because 53 percent (softgarden) apply more readily without one, the CV stays voluntary, and a callback option sits beside the form.
- 76 percent (Bitkom) search for jobs on a smartphone: large fields, the right keyboard per field type, no compulsory upload and an apply button without login right next to the listing keep the route short.
- Few fields are also the most data-minimal option; encrypted transmission, understandable consent and a deletion period for applications not taken forward remain obligatory, as does operation by keyboard and screen reader.
- Without a reliable process behind it the simple form achieves nothing: an automatic receipt, a personal reply within a few days including a proposed date, and one named person in charge stop quick applications from sitting untouched.
Why So Many Applications Are Abandoned
The biggest gap in recruiting is not reaching candidates but the step between interest and a submitted application. A care professional sees the position, clicks apply - and then faces a long form, a required cover letter or a forced login. According to softgarden, 58 percent (softgarden) of respondents have abandoned an application at some point, even though the position appealed to them. Every one of these drop-offs is a candidate who wanted the position and failed on the way there. In a market with long vacancy times, that is especially costly.
The reasons are rarely ill will on the applicants' part. They are tangible: too many mandatory fields, required documents that are not at hand, a cover letter that would first have to be written, or a form that simply does not work on the smartphone. Care professionals on shift work often apply late in the evening or during a short break - not at a desk with a finished application file. Where the effort exceeds the spontaneous motivation, the application is abandoned.
On top of this comes a changed expectation regarding duration. Today 59 percent (softgarden) of respondents think that entering the data into an online application form should take no more than ten minutes - in 2014 only 22 percent (softgarden) saw it that way. Any employer in care who makes positions visible, for example through structured job listings on the website, must take this final step as seriously as discoverability. Otherwise the hard-won visibility drains away just short of the goal.
The Most Expensive Point in Recruiting
The Skills Shortage Makes Every Application Valuable
The starting point is clear. At the end of 2023, the Federal Statistical Office counted around 5.7 million (Federal Statistical Office) people in need of care in Germany - 15 percent (Federal Statistical Office) more than two years earlier. About 86 percent (Federal Statistical Office) of them are cared for at home, of whom around 1.1 million (Federal Statistical Office) with the support of outpatient care and assistance services. It is exactly these services that compete for the same professionals.
The outlook sharpens the picture. The Federal Statistical Office's care worker projection expects demand for care workers to rise from around 1.62 million (Federal Statistical Office) in 2019 to about 2.15 million (Federal Statistical Office) in 2049 - an increase of roughly one third. Even in the more favourable trend scenario, at least 280,000 (Federal Statistical Office) care workers are expected to be missing in 2049, and up to 690,000 (Federal Statistical Office) in the less favourable status-quo scenario. The main driver is the retirement of the baby-boomer generation.
For a single care service this means: it is no longer about choosing the best application out of many, but about getting enough qualified candidates into the process at all. Every application that fails at an avoidable hurdle is a loss in this market that one can hardly afford. A career page that makes applying easy thus becomes a strategic advantage rather than a nice extra.
5.7M
people in need of care at the end of 2023 (Federal Statistical Office)
280,000+
missing care workers by 2049, trend scenario (Federal Statistical Office)
76%
use the smartphone for the job search (Bitkom)
Quick Application: Fewer Hurdles, More Completions
A quick application is not a renunciation of diligence but a deliberate reduction to what is really needed for the first contact. At its core, a few details suffice: the name, a way to make contact and the desired position. Everything else - CV, references, details - can be clarified in conversation or in a second step. The purpose of the form is not the complete file but the start of a dialogue. Every additional mandatory detail increases the risk that someone drops out beforehand.
Particularly effective is dropping the cover letter. According to softgarden, 53 percent (softgarden) of respondents would be more likely to apply for a position if no cover letter is required. Especially in care, where everyday work is demanding and formal application letters say little about professional suitability, the cover letter is a hurdle with little benefit. Leaving it out markedly lowers the entry threshold without losing relevant information.
In addition, a callback option is worthwhile. Not everyone wants to type on a smartphone in the evening; many would rather receive a brief call. A simple field for name, phone number and a preferred time slot is enough for interested people to initiate contact without filling in a long form. This turns a passive job listing into an active entry point - and the first real contact often arises faster than with a classic application.
Few Mandatory Fields
Name, a way to make contact and the desired position suffice for the first step. Every further mandatory field costs completions. Details can be clarified later instead of being requested up front.
Without a Cover Letter
A formal cover letter says little about suitability in care and deters many. 53 percent are more likely to apply without a cover letter (softgarden) - simply leaving it out lowers the hurdle noticeably.
Callback Option
Anyone who does not feel like typing leaves a name, number and preferred time slot. This way the first contact often arises faster than through a full application form.
Mobile-Friendly
76 percent use the smartphone for the job search (Bitkom). Large fields, clear labels and a sensible keyboard layout make applying with the thumb effortless.
Under Two Minutes
59 percent expect a form in no more than ten minutes (softgarden). A focused quick application achieves the first contact in project experience often in under two minutes (project experience).
Immediate Confirmation
An instant confirmation of receipt removes the uncertainty about whether the application arrived. It is the first impression of an appreciative employer and costs almost nothing technically.
Mobile First: the Application Belongs on the Smartphone
The job search today happens predominantly on mobile. Studies on mobile recruiting show that around 76 percent (Bitkom) of searchers use the smartphone for the job search. Anyone who discovers a suitable position on the sofa in the evening would prefer to get in touch right away - rather than wait until the next time they sit at a computer. An application that only works properly on the desktop loses exactly this moment of decision.
Thinking mobile first means more than just a form that somehow loads on the phone. It means large, easy-to-hit fields, a sensible keyboard per field type, no mandatory upload of a document that is hard to provide on a smartphone, and operation that can be handled with the thumb. At the same time, relatives benefit too: the same mobile diligence described in the article on mobile optimization for relatives pays straight into the application path.
It is also important that the path to the application is short. The quick application should sit right at the job listing, not be hidden behind several clicks. A clearly visible button that works without a login and without registration noticeably raises the completion rate. Every intermediate step between the interest and the first field is an opportunity for a candidate to be lost.
In detail, the mobile implementation decides whether applying really feels easy. A phone number should open the numeric keypad, an email address the matching keyboard, and mandatory fields should be clearly marked so that no one is left facing an unclear error message at the end. An optional file upload must not become a hidden requirement, because a CV is rarely at hand on a smartphone. Those who prefer can instead offer a short free-text field in which applicants write in one sentence why they are getting in touch - voluntary rather than a hurdle. Such details add up: every avoided friction increases the chance that the spontaneous motivation carries through to submission.
| Aspect | Classic application | Quick application without a cover letter |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory fields | Many, including address and details | Three: name, contact, position |
| Cover letter | Required | Omitted, optionally one line on motivation |
| Documents | Full file needed immediately | CV optional, possible later |
| Device | Practically desktop only | Built for the smartphone |
| Alternative | Only the form | Additional callback option |
| Response | Often open for days | Receipt confirmed immediately |
An application should open a conversation, not be an obstacle course. What is not really needed before the first contact does not belong in the mandatory form.
Data Protection and Diligence Despite Simplicity
A low hurdle for applicants does not mean a low hurdle for data protection. Application data are personal and partly sensitive information that must be handled carefully. This includes encrypted transmission of the form, clear and understandable consent, a traceable deletion period for applications that are not considered, and secure storage. How this can be implemented in a legally sound way for care is described in detail by data protection for sensitive data.
It is important that simplicity and diligence are not a contradiction. A quick application with three fields can be designed in a data-protection-compliant way by collecting only the data needed for the first contact - this is in fact the most data-minimal variant. The less is requested, the less needs to be protected, stored and later deleted. Data minimization and a low entry threshold thus go hand in hand.
Then there is accessibility. A well-usable quick application also works with the keyboard, a screen reader and sufficient contrast. This is not only a matter of decency but, since 2025, legally relevant for many providers. How to implement an accessible care website applies to the application form just as much as to the rest of the site - an accessible form simply reaches more people.
Data-Minimal Is Also Applicant-Friendly
After the Click: a Fast Response as a Lever
A quick application only unfolds its effect when a reliable process stands behind it. The first building block is the automatic confirmation of receipt: it removes the applicant's uncertainty about whether the application arrived and costs practically nothing technically. The second, decisive building block is the personal response. In a tight labor market, candidates usually weigh several options at once, and frequently the employer who responds first wins them over.
Speed here is not an end in itself but a signal of appreciation. A response within a few days, ideally with a concrete proposed appointment, shows that the application is taken seriously. In project experience, the likelihood of a conversation noticeably rises when the first reaction is timely (project experience). A clear internal responsibility prevents incoming quick applications from being left lying - otherwise the simple application was in vain.
- A quick application right at the job listing, without a login and without registration
- Few mandatory fields: name, a way to make contact, the desired position
- No mandatory cover letter, CV optional to upload
- A callback option with a preferred time slot as an alternative to the form
- Built for the smartphone: large fields, a suitable keyboard, no mandatory upload
- An automatic confirmation of receipt and a personal response within a few days
As with any measure, it is worth looking at the effect. How many people open the form, how many begin it, how many submit it? These figures reveal where it stalls - for example a field that deters many or a step that is too complicated. This turns the quick application into an instrument that can be observed and gradually improved. Which form suits your facility is best clarified in a personal conversation, because every facility has a different starting point.
Start Small, Work Fast
Sources and Studies