According to a Bitkom survey, 50 percent of startups in Germany have employees in the company.
In the previous year it was 44 percent, said the digital association, which surveyed around 150 technology start-ups, on Friday in Berlin.
40 percent of the companies stated that they could imagine employee participation in the future.
Seven percent rule this out.
"Internationally, it is common for start-ups to offer a stake in the company in the competition for talent," said Bitkom President Achim Berg.
In Germany, this is still very rarely the case because the legal regulations are not practical.
"In its start-up strategy, the federal government promises improvements, and they are also urgently needed." In Germany, employees with investments are asked to pay taxes before they have sold their packages.
According to the survey, 41 percent of startups use "virtual participations", in which the payout is linked to certain scenarios such as an IPO.
Six percent of the companies surveyed use share options, only three percent real shares.