Germany Urgently Needs 288,000 Skilled Foreign Workers Annually to Maintain Its Economy

A study by the Bertelsmann Foundation has revealed that the German labour market needs 288,000 skilled workers every year to maintain economic development, indicating a high dependency on these workers.

The study has also revealed that thanks to immigration, Germany’s workforce is not decreasing by ten per cent, which could easily happen by 2040. Without 288,000 skilled foreign workers every year, the German workforce could decrease from 46.4 million to 41.9 million, Schengen.News reports.

However, the situation could be even more serious as another scenario of the study reveals that until 2040, as many as 368,000 immigrant workers could be needed every year.

Cities With Higher Immigration Population to Be Less Affected by Shrinking Workforce
Hamburg and Berlin are currently the two German cities that are most exposed to large immigrant numbers. However, this could work to their advantage as the two cities are least threatened by a shrinking workforce.

On the other hand, southern regions like Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg will likely be the most impacted by this phenomenon, while North Rhine-Westphalia could expect the largest losses, as DW reports.

Germany is increasingly improving its living conditions and making the migration process more convenient for foreigners, indicating that the government is dedicated to attracting more immigrant workers.

Immigrant Skilled Workers Complain Over ‘Poor’ Welcoming Culture in Germany
Despite its efforts to become more attractive for these workers, immigrants are not satisfied with the treatment they receive in Germany; many confess racism.

A Syrian refugee who has been in the country since 2016 says that he did not feel welcomed by German society. For this reason, the 30-year-old, who has graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Germany and has become an IT specialist, wants to move to Switzerland.

The Bertelsmann Foundation study reveals that foreign workers would not consider remaining in Germany if local authorities and businesses are not welcoming and if there is no perspective of long-term stays.

According to data by Destatis, the statistics office of Germany, 12.2 million residents were born abroad, many of them coming from European countries (8.3 million), Asia (2.7 million) and Africa (647,665).

Source: https://schengen.news/germany-urgently-needs-288000-skilled-foreign-workers-annually-to-maintain-its-economy/