Recruiting on Xing: Guide for European Hiring

Xing is the professional network with 22.5 million members across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland - and for DACH-focused recruiting, it delivers 22% higher B2B response rates than LinkedIn, according to LHH's executive recruiting analysis. If you're hiring in Europe's largest economy, Xing gives you access to a candidate pool that overlaps with LinkedIn but responds differently. With 163 German occupations classified as shortage roles by the Bundesagentur fur Arbeit (2025), reaching candidates on the platform where they're most active isn't optional. It's a competitive advantage.

This guide covers everything: Xing's recruiter tools (now branded "onlyfy"), practical sourcing tactics including X-ray search, outreach strategies that work in German-language markets, and what the 2025 Burda Digital acquisition means for the platform's future. We also cover when to pair Xing with a broader AI sourcing platform that scans 850M+ profiles across all of Europe.

TL;DR: Xing has 22.5M DACH members and 22% higher B2B response rates than LinkedIn (LHH, 2024). The onlyfy TalentManager starts at EUR 366/month with 27 search filters and 200 messages/month. Use it for DACH-specific roles, especially mid-career professionals in engineering, healthcare, and manufacturing. For pan-European or global searches, pair Xing with an AI sourcing platform like Pin that covers 850M+ profiles with 100% European coverage.

Why Does Xing Still Matter for DACH Recruiting?

Germany's skilled worker shortage costs the economy EUR 49 billion per year, according to the German Economic Institute (IW Koln, 2024). The Bundesagentur fur Arbeit classifies 163 occupations as shortage roles in 2025, down from 183 in 2023 but still staggering. Nearly 439,000 skilled positions went unfilled in 2024 alone. For recruiters targeting the DACH region, every sourcing channel counts.

Xing isn't just "Germany's LinkedIn." It's a platform where 22.5 million DACH professionals maintain profiles, many of whom aren't active on LinkedIn at all. According to a 2025 Forsa study commissioned by Xing (n=4,924), 36% of German workers are actively open to or planning a job change. In Austria, that number jumps to 44%. In Switzerland, it hits 56%. Among Gen Z workers, 48% are considering a move.

Those numbers represent a massive addressable market. And unlike LinkedIn, where recruiter messages compete with dozens of InMails weekly, Xing inboxes - particularly outside major tech hubs - see far less traffic. That's why regional B2B inquiries on Xing see response rates 22% higher than equivalent outreach on LinkedIn.

The OECD's 2025 economic survey of Germany found the country has the highest share of firms reporting severe difficulties filling vacancies among all OECD nations. With 27.2% of German enterprises reporting adverse business effects from staff shortages in Q2 2025, recruiters who ignore Xing are leaving candidates on the table.

For a broader look at European hiring strategies beyond Xing, see our guide on how to hire EU talent as a US company.

Xing vs LinkedIn in Europe: Where Each Platform Wins

LinkedIn has 28 million users in the DACH region compared to Xing's 22.5 million, according to Pettauer.net's 2025 LinkedIn usage analysis. On raw numbers, LinkedIn leads. But the story changes when you dig into engagement and response patterns.

According to research from the Technical University of Munich cited by LHH, LinkedIn users are 3x more likely to engage with business content - 12% engagement rate vs Xing's 5%. That sounds like a LinkedIn win. But for recruiter outreach specifically, the dynamics flip: Xing's B2B response rates run 22% higher, especially for regional and mid-career roles.

Why the disconnect? Two reasons.

First, less inbox competition. Senior professionals on Xing - particularly those in engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, and traditional industries - receive far fewer unsolicited messages than their LinkedIn counterparts. When your message lands, it actually gets read.

Second, local trust factor. Xing is a German-built platform. For German-speaking professionals, particularly those outside tech and startup circles, it's the more natural home. Many maintain Xing profiles that are more current than their LinkedIn pages.

Where LinkedIn clearly wins: international roles, English-speaking positions, tech and startup talent, and content marketing reach. Bilingual German/English posts on LinkedIn achieve 41% broader reach in DACH, per Pettauer.net's analysis. If you're hiring for a Berlin startup where the working language is English, LinkedIn is your primary channel.

Where Xing wins: DACH-specific roles in traditional industries (automotive, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare), mid-career professionals, roles requiring fluent German, and regional positions outside major cities. These candidates check Xing first - or only.

The smart play? Use both. But if you're on LinkedIn and struggling to fill DACH roles, Xing is the obvious addition. For recruiters exploring alternatives to their current sourcing stack, we've compiled a guide to sites like LinkedIn for recruiting that covers other platforms worth testing.

How Xing's Recruiter Tools Work (The onlyfy Suite)

Xing's recruiter products now operate under the "onlyfy" brand umbrella. If you've seen references to "Xing TalentManager" or "Xing E-Recruiting," they still exist - just under new packaging. Here's what the current suite looks like and what each tool costs.

onlyfy TalentManager

This is Xing's core active sourcing product. It's the DACH equivalent of LinkedIn Recruiter - purpose-built for finding and contacting German-speaking professionals.

Features:

• 27 search filters (location, industry, skills, experience level, company size, career level, and more)
• Candidate pools with tagging and notes
• Direct messaging to non-connections (capped by plan)
• Boolean search support
• AI-based candidate recommendations that improve over time

Pricing (via OMR Reviews, 2025):

• Core: EUR 366/month (~EUR 4,390/year) - includes 200 messages/month to non-contacts
• Pro: EUR 474/month (~EUR 5,690/year) - adds smart auto-populated pools, campaign function for multi-candidate outreach, and expanded analytics

The 200-message monthly cap on Core is the biggest constraint for high-volume recruiters. If you're running multiple searches simultaneously across engineering and healthcare, you'll burn through that limit fast. The Pro plan's campaign feature lets you send personalized outreach to batches of candidates - closer to what you'd expect from a modern outreach tool.

onlyfy Bewerbungsmanager

This is Xing's application management side - closer to an ATS than a sourcing tool. Key stats from onlyfy's product page:

• Average time to first application: 3 days after posting
• Application form completion rate: 88%
• Average time to successful hire: 32 days
• WhatsApp application integration generates 50% more applications than standard forms

That WhatsApp feature is worth noting. WhatsApp is the dominant messaging app in Germany (used by roughly 84% of the population), and offering WhatsApp-based job applications significantly lowers the barrier for candidates who hate filling out web forms on their phones.

kununu (Employer Branding)

kununu is Xing's Glassdoor equivalent - the largest employer review platform in the DACH region. It's owned by New Work SE (the same parent company as Xing) and deeply integrated with Xing profiles. When a candidate views your company on Xing, your kununu rating appears prominently. A poor kununu score can tank your response rates even if your outreach is perfect.

Recruiters should monitor kununu reviews, respond to negative feedback professionally, and use the platform's employer branding features to present an accurate picture of workplace culture. If you're serious about Xing recruiting, kununu management isn't optional.

How to Source Candidates on Xing Step by Step

Here's a practical walkthrough for finding candidates on Xing, whether you're using the paid TalentManager or free methods. Both approaches can surface DACH talent that doesn't appear in English-language sourcing tools.

Method 1: onlyfy TalentManager Filters

Start with the 27 built-in filters. The most effective combination for precision sourcing:

1. Set your target region. Xing allows city-level and radius filtering - use this for roles that require on-site presence or proximity to a specific office.
2. Filter by industry and company size. This lets you find candidates from companies at a similar stage to yours. A startup hiring a head of engineering probably doesn't want someone who's spent 15 years at Siemens - or maybe they do. Company size filtering makes that intentional.
3. Use skills keywords in German. The platform's primary language is German. Searching for "Maschinenbauingenieur" returns more precise results than "mechanical engineer" on Xing.
4. Filter by career level. Options include entry, professional, manager, and executive. This saves time by excluding candidates who are too junior or too senior for your role.
5. Apply the "open to offers" filter. Prioritize candidates who've signaled they're open to new opportunities - they respond at significantly higher rates.

The TalentManager's AI recommendations also surface candidates based on your previous search patterns. After a few searches, the suggestions get noticeably better.

Method 2: Google X-Ray Search for Xing Profiles

You don't need a TalentManager subscription to find Xing profiles. Google indexes most public Xing profiles, which means you can use X-ray search strings to find candidates for free.

The basic syntax:

site:xing.com inurl:profile intext:"[job title]"

Real examples:

site:xing.com inurl:profile intext:"backend engineer" intext:"python"

site:xing.com inurl:profile intext:"Maschinenbauingenieur" intext:"Munchen"

site:xing.com inurl:profile intext:"Krankenpfleger" intext:"Berlin"

This works especially well for German-language job titles that don't appear on English-centric platforms. You'll surface profiles that most international recruiters never see. No Xing account needed.

For a deeper guide on X-ray techniques and advanced Boolean strategies, see our article on what sourcing in recruitment actually involves. And for searches that go beyond any single platform, our candidate database search guide covers how to query 850M+ profiles at once.

Method 3: Xing Groups and Community Engagement

Xing has professional groups organized by industry, skill, and region. While less active than they were five years ago, niche groups in areas like Automotive Engineering, Pharma and Biotech, and SAP Consulting still see regular discussions.

Join relevant groups, observe conversation patterns, and identify active contributors. These are your warm prospects - they've demonstrated expertise publicly. When you message them, reference their group contributions rather than sending cold outreach. It's the difference between "I saw your post about predictive maintenance in the Industrie 4.0 group" and "I came across your impressive profile." The first one gets a reply. The second one gets deleted.

Writing Xing Outreach That Gets Responses

Outreach on Xing follows different rules than LinkedIn. The audience, language expectations, and cultural norms are distinct enough that copy-pasting your LinkedIn InMail templates will underperform. Here's what works instead.

Write in German. Unless you're hiring for an explicitly English-speaking role, your first message should be in German. Xing's user base skews toward German-speaking professionals, and a German-language message signals that you understand the local market. Bilingual English/German messages are acceptable for international companies, but lead with German.

Keep messages short. Xing messages don't support the rich formatting LinkedIn InMail offers. Aim for 100-150 words. State who you are, why you're reaching out, what the role offers, and one specific reason you chose this candidate. That last part is what separates effective outreach from spam.

Reference local context. Mention the city, the industry, or something specific from the candidate's profile. German professionals are particularly wary of generic mass outreach. "I noticed your experience at Bosch in Stuttgart" performs significantly better than "I came across your profile and was impressed." Be specific or don't bother.

Respect the 200-message cap. On the Core plan, you get 200 messages to non-contacts per month. That forces discipline. Don't spray and pray - prioritize the candidates most likely to respond, and put thought into each message.

Consider the Pro plan's campaign feature if you're doing high-volume outreach. It lets you set up multi-candidate sequences with personalization tokens. However, the personalization options are less sophisticated than dedicated outreach tools. Pin's automated multi-channel sequences, for example, hit a 48% response rate across email, LinkedIn, and SMS by combining AI personalization with data from 850M+ profiles - see how it works.

What the Burda Acquisition Means for Xing's Future

In August 2024, New Work SE - Xing's parent company - delisted from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. By June 2025, Burda Digital SE completed a full squeeze-out, acquiring 100% of the company at EUR 105.65 per share. Xing is now a fully private company with no obligation to publish quarterly financial reports.

The last public numbers showed revenue at EUR 133.7 million for H1 2024 - down 12% from EUR 151.7 million in H1 2023, according to New Work SE's H1 2024 financial report. The HR Solutions and Talent Access segment (Xing's core recruiting products) brought in EUR 98.6 million, down 8% year over year.

What does this mean if you're evaluating Xing as a recruiting tool?

The platform isn't going away immediately. Xing still has 22.5 million DACH members and over 14,000 B2B e-recruiting customers. That's a significant installed base that generates real revenue for Burda Digital.

Strategic uncertainty exists. Burda Digital is reportedly exploring a sale of kununu (valued at approximately $581 million, per AIM Group's reporting). If kununu gets sold separately, it breaks the integrated Xing-plus-kununu employer branding loop that many DACH recruiters rely on.

Revenue decline signals caution. A 12% top-line drop isn't catastrophic, but it reflects LinkedIn's continued growth in DACH. Recruiters making long-term tool investments should factor this trajectory into their decisions.

The practical takeaway: Xing remains valuable for DACH sourcing today. But building your entire European recruiting strategy around a single platform - especially one in ownership transition - carries risk. Diversify your sourcing channels so you aren't dependent on any one platform's roadmap.

When to Pair Xing With a Global Sourcing Platform

Xing covers Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It doesn't cover France, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, or the rest of Europe's 450+ million workforce. For recruiters hiring across multiple European markets - or globally - Xing is one channel, not the only channel.

That's where a broader AI sourcing platform fills the gap. Pin scans 850M+ candidate profiles with 100% coverage in North America and Europe. It searches across professional networks, public databases, and dozens of other sources simultaneously - including candidates who have Xing profiles. Instead of manually searching Xing's TalentManager, LinkedIn Recruiter, and three other platforms separately, you search once and get results from everywhere.

Here's a practical framework for when to use each approach:

• DACH-only roles in traditional German industries: Start with Xing's onlyfy TalentManager. It has the deepest filters for German-language roles and the local trust advantage.
• Pan-European or multilingual roles: Use a global sourcing tool that covers all of Europe. Xing won't help you find a Spanish DevOps engineer or a Dutch product manager.
• Niche or hard-to-fill positions: Use both. Start on Xing for DACH candidates, then broaden to a platform with 850M+ profiles to find talent in adjacent markets or with non-obvious backgrounds.
• High-volume hiring across borders: Skip platform-by-platform sourcing entirely. An AI tool that aggregates multiple sources and automates outreach across email, LinkedIn, and SMS saves days of manual work per search.

For recruiters who've been evaluating their LinkedIn spend, our comparison of LinkedIn Recruiter alternatives in 2026 breaks down 12 options including AI-powered platforms with broader data coverage.

Search for European candidates across 850M+ profiles with Pin's AI - start free

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Xing still relevant for recruiting in 2026?

Yes. Xing has 22.5 million members in the DACH region and delivers 22% higher B2B response rates than LinkedIn for regional inquiries (LHH, 2024). It's most valuable for roles requiring German language skills and for industries like engineering, manufacturing, and healthcare where LinkedIn adoption is lower. The platform's long-term direction depends on Burda Digital's strategy following the 2025 acquisition.

How much does Xing TalentManager cost?

The onlyfy TalentManager Core plan costs EUR 366/month (~EUR 4,390/year) with 200 messages to non-contacts per month. The Pro plan runs EUR 474/month (~EUR 5,690/year) and adds campaign outreach, smart pools, and expanded analytics (OMR Reviews, 2025). Both are significantly cheaper than LinkedIn Recruiter's enterprise pricing.

Can I search Xing profiles without a paid account?

Yes. Google X-ray search works on Xing's public profiles. Use the query site:xing.com inurl:profile intext:"[job title]" to find candidates without a TalentManager subscription. This surfaces profiles indexed by Google, though some candidates restrict their public visibility settings.

Should I use Xing or LinkedIn for DACH recruiting?

Use both. LinkedIn has more total DACH users (28M vs 22.5M), but Xing outperforms for German-language roles, traditional industries, and regional positions. For the broadest coverage, pair both platforms with an AI sourcing tool like Pin that searches 850M+ profiles across all of Europe simultaneously.

What happened to Xing after the New Work SE delisting?

New Work SE delisted from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in August 2024. Burda Digital SE completed a full acquisition in June 2025 at EUR 105.65 per share. The last public revenue figures showed a 12% decline in H1 2024 (New Work SE, 2024). Burda is reportedly exploring a sale of kununu. Core recruiting tools remain operational, but long-term strategic direction is uncertain.

Making Xing Work for Your European Recruiting Strategy

Xing remains the single best platform for reaching German-speaking professionals in traditional industries - the candidates who don't respond to LinkedIn InMail because they barely use LinkedIn. With 22.5 million DACH members, 22% higher B2B response rates, and tools like the onlyfy TalentManager that cost a fraction of LinkedIn Recruiter, it deserves a place in any DACH-focused recruiting stack.

But Xing alone isn't enough. Germany's 163 shortage occupations and 439,000 unfilled positions demand a multi-channel approach. The recruiters filling roles fastest are the ones combining local platform expertise (Xing for DACH, LinkedIn for international) with AI sourcing tools that aggregate candidates from everywhere. That combination - deep local access plus global scale - is what closes the hardest roles in the tightest labor market in Europe.

Recruit across Europe with Pin's AI - 850M+ profiles, 100% European coverage, from $100/month