How popular is Germany with foreign skilled workers?

Germany currently continues to seek workers from abroad, about 400,000 annually. But is Germany also attractive to highly educated foreigners? For some, the German language in particular is a major barrier.

Jessica James, a 31-year-old Christian woman, currently residing in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, has nine years of professional experience in various banks, after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Perhaps Germany needs Jessica James as a skilled worker. Jessica wants to leave her homeland. “I am a Christian and Pakistan is a Muslim country,” he said in a phone conversation with DW. This is the main reason why I want to go to Europe.

“Perhaps Frankfurt, one of the most important financial centers in the world, is right for you?” DW’s question to Jessica. In response, he said, “No, there is no question of Germany.” To find a job there, you have to learn German – and it’s very difficult.” Jessica added, “Also, Germany is a very strict country when it comes to issuing visas and I “Heard that Germans are very strict with brown-skinned people and with immigrants in general.” So this young Pakistani banker woman wants to immigrate to the Netherlands.

Thomas Liebig, an expert on migration related to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), says that Germany is also an attractive country for educated immigrants. According to him, studies and surveys of international professionals show that Germany has generally performed quite well in the past – although Germany often lags behind English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada or the US. Is.

This perception is quite different from the general perception that “people in Germany don’t like emigrants.” Language is a big problem here, visa rules are also very strict. There is no special attraction in Germany for skilled workers. Thomas Liebig, an expert on immigration, and colleagues have now surveyed nearly 30,000 people who visited the federal government’s Internet portal for skilled workers from abroad. In other words, people who are already interested in a job in Germany and want to know more about the possibilities. The biggest obstacle for them is that they don’t know how to get a job in Germany – either because they can’t read German job ads or because there’s no help with the application process. . Most of the skilled can imagine coming to Germany as there are good job and career opportunities for them here. Two out of three respondents cited the high standard of living in Germany as a reason for their interest.

“You should also write here that you worked as an electrician for this company,” Coronado tells a young man, reviewing Okus’ resume or CV. The young man can immediately think of two companies in the region that might be interested in Okos’ talent. Germany is in dire need of installers. Germany relies on heat pumps, and one should be able to install them professionally. “First we have to send your resume,” Coronado says, looking at Okos.

For Okos, however, the biggest obstacle is probably the German language. “German is really a very difficult language, but also very beautiful,” he says thoughtfully and measuredly. “

“If we want the most skilled workers to come to us, we have to support them and make it easier for them to find jobs in Germany,” says Chris Piak, who consults with job seekers. Every effort should be made to fill Citing the example of software developers, he says, “Most of the jobs that are in demand today can be done well with knowledge of the English language. In thousands of companies around the world, it’s just a natural process.”

Piac says Germany needs to adopt a new culture towards immigrants. “If we want the best talent and workers to come to us, we have to try to attract them. Otherwise only those people will come whose quota is not that important. The aim will be to enable applicants in the future to work and obtain recognition in Germany without a recognized qualification.”