Overview

• Many German pools have reduced hours, scheduled extra rest days, or shut temporarily due to a lack of qualified lifeguards, provoking visitor anger.
• A May survey by the Verband kommunaler Unternehmen revealed that 38% of pools had unfilled lifeguard positions and more than a quarter reported vacancies over 10%.
• The Bundesverband der deutschen Schwimmmeister estimates roughly 3,000 supervisors are missing nationwide, a shortfall driven by demographic change and a tight labor market.
• On August 14–15, Parsberg’s mayor, Josef Bauer, and city manager, Stefan Schmidmeier, completed formal certification—covering timed swims, diving rescues and CPR—and began volunteering at Jura Mare.
• Their volunteer efforts have already attracted prospective applicants and highlight a potential model for local recruitment and ad-hoc staffing solutions.