Commuters waiting on a train platform in Munich at dawn
Posted on by Thimon Radtke

Headhunter Munich: Why more applicants don’t make the search easier

Headhunter Munich: why more applicants don't make the search easier

In September 2026, companies in the Munich employment agency district reported 10,452 vacancies, a good quarter more than a year earlier. In the same month, 61,124 people were registered as unemployed there, and the unemployment rate of 5.3 percent was slightly above the previous year's figure. Anyone who concludes that key positions in Munich are currently easier to fill will probably be disappointed during their next search for a plant manager or a sales director.

In short: A headhunter in Munich pays off not despite the current situation, but because of it. The pool of applicants has become broader, but the people who already lead successfully in the technical mid-market are rarely registered as unemployed. They are in permanent jobs, often at competitors in the surrounding region, and have to be approached in a targeted and discreet way.

More unemployed and more vacancies: what is happening in the Munich labour market?

The September figures come from the Rathaus Umschau of the City of Munich and refer to the employment agency district, meaning the city and the district of Munich together. In the city alone, the unemployment rate in September 2026 was 5.7 percent. The city describes the autumn recovery as weak once again, while demand for labour is developing positively at the same time.

A detail analysed by the Munich Statistical Office is more revealing: in September 2025, 28.1 percent of the unemployed in Munich held a university degree. Four years earlier, the figure was 19.1 percent. The office concludes that a degree is no longer a guarantee of employment in Munich.

For HR managers in mid-sized companies, this is good and bad news at the same time. For broadly deployable profiles, for example in controlling, project management or IT administration, the choice has indeed become larger. For a plant manager with injection moulding experience, a head of purchasing with a supplier background or a commercial managing director to support the succession in a family business, this hardly applies. People who fill such roles well are rarely let go, and if they are, they have several offers within a few weeks.

Where the market for executives in Upper Bavaria remains tight

In the medium term, the balance shifts back. The study "Regionale Arbeitslandschaften", prepared by Prognos AG on behalf of the vbw – Bavarian Business Association, puts the skills shortage in Upper Bavaria at 68,350 people for 2025. By 2035, it will grow to 80,250. According to the vbw, this makes Upper Bavaria the most affected region in Bavaria, and the study expects bottlenecks in 25 of 36 main occupational groups. In the metropolitan centres, the supply of labour is rising, but the study sees no real oversupply anywhere in Bavaria.

On top of this comes a Munich peculiarity: the candidate market does not end at the city limits. According to the Statistical Office, 464,210 employees subject to social insurance contributions commuted into Munich for work as of 30 June 2025. For comparison, around 973,000 employees had their place of work in Munich at the end of 2025. Almost half of the jobs in the city are therefore held by people who live outside it. For the search, this means that anyone who only looks in Munich overlooks a large share of the people who are suitable for the position.

This is particularly evident in the industries that shape the Munich region:

  • Automotive suppliers that are currently restructuring product portfolios and plants and need executives with transformation experience (more on our page Executive search in automotive)
  • Mechanical and plant engineering and automation, from sensor manufacturers to system integrators
  • Aerospace suppliers and MRO companies, meaning businesses that maintain, repair and overhaul aircraft
  • Replacement hires that have to be handled confidentially because the current post holder is still in office

How does a headhunter in Munich work when a job advertisement is not enough?

The core is direct approach: the consultant identifies people who already hold a comparable role today and contacts them personally. How this process works step by step, from the target company list to the first conversation, is described in our article on the direct approach of candidates. In the Munich area, two particular factors come into play.

First, a mid-sized company here competes for the same people as large corporations with well-known names and high salary levels. A headhunter therefore has to work out early in the conversation what the position offers a candidate that a corporation would not: shorter decision-making paths, more responsibility per person, and often a shorter commute.

Second, the pace on the client side is decisive. In its 2026 market study, the Federal Association of German Management Consultants (BDU) names uncertainty, budget constraints, postponed mandates and longer decision-making processes at clients as the main reasons why existing hiring needs are often implemented with delays. A good candidate who waits six weeks for feedback between two interviews will often have signed elsewhere in the meantime. If you engage a headhunter, plan your management's interview dates from the start.

An example from consulting practice

Anonymised and for illustration: an automotive supplier from the Munich area with around 600 employees is looking for a new head of purchasing. Its own job advertisement attracts more than 80 applications, many from well-qualified people from corporations that are currently cutting jobs. However, none of the applicants has developed suppliers in a mid-sized company or conducted price negotiations without a large purchasing department behind them. The direct approach therefore focuses on purchasing managers at suppliers of similar size between Augsburg and Rosenheim. The person eventually hired comes from a company that was not even on the client's original wish list.

"Many companies are currently getting noticeably more applications per advert than before. The problem isn't the volume. It's that hardly any of these applicants have ever done exactly this job," says a consultant at the Munich office of SCHLAGHECK + RADTKE (quoted for illustration; name withheld for reasons of discretion).

How do you recognise the right headhunter in Munich?

The executive search market is currently reorganising itself. According to the BDU, the number of executive search firms in Germany fell by around 200 to 1,975 in 2025, and executive search still accounts for 79 percent of the industry's revenue. The differences between providers are correspondingly large. Before you engage one, check the following points in particular:

  • Does the consultant know your industry? Ask for comparable mandates, anonymised if need be, and check whether they understand the technical requirements of the role without having to ask.
  • Is there an agreed target company list before the first approach? It shows where the search takes place and whether the search radius extends beyond Munich.
  • Are all presented candidates interviewed personally before you see their documents?
  • Are the fee, payment instalments and any replacement guarantee agreed in writing in advance?
  • Do you have one fixed contact person who supports the mandate from briefing to contract signature?

How executive search is structured methodically at SCHLAGHECK + RADTKE is shown on our Executive Search page.

Frequently asked questions about headhunters in Munich

What does a headhunter in Munich cost?

The fee is always paid by the hiring company, never by the candidate. It is usually based on the annual target salary of the position and, in executive search mandates, is generally paid in instalments over the course of the project. According to the BDU, the industry focuses on positions with a target income between 100,000 and 250,000 euros. Our article What is a headhunter? explains the usual fee models in more detail.

How quickly does a headhunter deliver suitable candidates?

At SCHLAGHECK + RADTKE, the key candidate profiles are usually available after four to six weeks. After that, the timeline depends mainly on your own decision-making process and on the candidate's notice period. Factor that notice period into your schedule from the start.

Does a headhunter in Munich only search within the city?

No. Almost half of the employees who work in Munich commute in from outside, so the relevant market covers at least the entire surrounding region. For highly specialised profiles, the search extends nationwide or internationally, at SCHLAGHECK + RADTKE also via the international network Praxi Alliance.

Is a headhunter worthwhile if my job advertisement attracts plenty of applications?

That depends on the position. If the applicants include people who have already held the role at a comparable company, you probably don't need a headhunter. If they are mainly career changers or candidates from completely different company sizes, it is worth looking into the part of the market that doesn't apply at all.

Discuss your vacancy in Munich

Do you have a key position to fill in the Munich area, and the usual channels are not bringing in the right people? Our office at Prinzregentenstraße 54 supports companies in automotive, mechanical engineering and aerospace, with one fixed contact person and a 24-month guarantee on every placement. Speak to Sebastian Radtke on +49 89 45 20 57 80, or get in touch via our HR consulting Munich page. The first conversation is non-binding.