In 2025, nearly 14,400 people started apprenticeships in the sanitary, heating, and climate technology professions. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this represents a substantial increase of 30.5 percent in new apprenticeship contracts compared to the same period a decade ago, when the figure was around 11,000 in 2015. This sector includes plumbing and climate mechanics, alongside specialized roles such as oven and air heating builders.
While the industry is seeing growth, the workforce remains predominantly male. In 2025, the representation of women among new apprenticeships was only 2.4 percent, falling significantly short of the average across all vocational groups within the dual system, where women account for 36.0 percent of new contracts.
Employment within the sector has also increased over the past five years. Microcensus data reported that around 278,000 individuals were employed in sanitary, heating, and climate technology roles in 2025. This is a 4.1 percent rise from the approximately 267,000 employees recorded in 2021-a slight increase when compared to the overall rise of 3.7 percent in all employed persons during the same period.
An older workforce trend is also notable. In 2025, about one in four employees (23.3 percent) were aged between 55 and 64, a demographic group likely to retire in the coming years. Critically, this percentage is only slightly higher than the proportion in the general working population (23.0 percent). The share of workers aged 55 to 64 in this specific sector has risen slightly over five years, increasing from 22.3 percent in 2021 (when it stood at 22.0 percent overall).
In addition to the changes in labor statistics, the prices for the services offered by the industry have risen. For work involving gas, water, and drainage systems, consumers paid 6.6 percent more in August of this year than in the previous month. Services related to heating and water heating systems saw a 5.1 percent price increase. This is ahead of the overall consumer price index, which rose by 2.9 percent during the same time.
The vibrant growth of this manufacturing sector is also reflected in the expansion of larger companies. In the first quarter of 2026, nearly 4,100 firms employing at least 20 people were active in gas, water, heating, ventilation, and climate installation. This marks a considerable increase of 38.9 percent compared to the 2,900 firms recorded in the first quarter of 2016. Furthermore, revenues have more than doubled during this period, rising from roughly 2.9 billion euros to approximately 5.9 billion euros, representing a 103.8 percent increase.
