Wages for urgently needed nursing staff in German care homes have risen noticeably, according to data from the country’s care insurance funds released on Friday. Average hourly wages increased by 8.8% from the previous year to €22.60 ($24.57) compared to the previous year, according to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, which also represents the nursing care insurance funds. This is a “significant increase” after annual increases in recent years of around 2%, the group said. Association head Doris Pfeiffer said: “The higher average wages in geriatric care show that c…