The German Government has signed off on a new plan that will make it easier for employers in the country to bring in non-EU-based workers next year.
Earlier this year, the German government announced that it would introduce new skilled immigration legislation in March 2020. And following a meeting yesterday which was attended by business representatives and union officials a memorandum was adopted which aims to dismantle some of Germany’s notorious bureaucracy.
The following points were all agreed upon and will be introduced next year.
– Businesses will help new workers with German language training, finding a place to live and navigating bureaucracy.
– Companies will also offer more targeted jobs at foreigners.
– The government agreed to speed up the visa process so workers can more quickly start their jobs.
– Recognising foreign qualifications and credentials will be made easier.
– The government’s information portal “Make it in Germany,” which includes a telephone hotline and jobs board, will play a more central role.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the summit a ‘true success’ and is confident that the changes will help Germany attract much needed skilled workers to the country.
“It’s not only us who are looking at the world’s professionals,” she said. “There is great competition in this area.”
Germany is currently facing skilled shortages in a number of key sectors, most notably electrical engineers, metal workers and mechatronics engineers, cooks, nurses, aged care workers, computer scientists and software developers.
The Skilled Workers Immigration Act will come into effect on 1st March next year.
Ingo Kramer, the head of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations, recently noted that some 430,000 migrants who came to Germany as asylum seekers since 2015 are now in jobs, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect at least 100,000 positions per year to be filled by actively seeking educated professionals from outside the EU.
Article published 17th December 2019