Germany opens doors to migrants due to labor shortage

Faced with a severe shortage of skilled labor, the German government Olaf Scholz On Wednesday, he introduced a bill designed to make it easier for citizens from outside the European Union to obtain work visas.

The goal of the first European economy is to attract more foreign workers, unlike other European countries seeking to close their borders to immigration.

Soon it will no longer be necessary to submit an employment contract for settlement, which will be replaced by a points system that measures candidates’ integration “potential”, as already done in Canada.

“We will make sure to bring skilled workers into the country, which our economy has been in dire need of for many years,” the interior minister said. Nancy Phizerwhen presenting a bill that still needs to be approved by parliamentarians.

The new system will “remove bureaucratic hurdles” and “enable skilled workers to quickly come to Germany and start” work, he added.

population aging

The shortage of skilled workers has become a real problem. Two million jobs are currently vacant Germanywhen the generation of the sixties retires.

Due to population aging, the labor market will lose seven million people by 2035 if the government does not take action Institute for Labor Market Research (IAB).

Taking all industries into account, 44% of German companies surveyed by the Ifo Institute said they were affected by labor shortages in January.

Faced with this critical situation, Chancellor Scholz is urging workers not to retire early as companies increasingly use robots, for example, in caring for the elderly.

However, earlier this month, Scholz warned in parliament that appealing to the German population was “not enough” to overcome the deficit.

overcome the deficit

Industrialists are trying to respond to the shortage and offer their formations to attract foreigners.

Steel Plant ArcelorMittal in a german city Eisenhüttenstadt annually accepts about fifty new students, including foreigners.

This sector is one of the most affected by the shortage of qualified personnel in the country.

Appropriate training is essential to ensure that “young people don’t leave us,” the labor minister said. Hubertus Heilduring a recent visit to ArcelorMittal.

But it’s very hard to find candidates in the east Germanydue to the lower income there compared to those in the west, as well as the more hostile reception.

Therefore, “we will also try to attract the workers we need by opening legal immigration channels,” the minister said.

The shortfall could “affect important transition missions” in Germany to “electric mobility or renewables,” warned Achim Derks, deputy director of the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK), earlier in the year.

(According to AFP)