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Recruitment for Germany? Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) speaking to visitors to a Goethe Institute in India

Photo: Christophe Gateau / dpa

Germany needs more and more workers from countries outside the EU, but is not showing its best side to immigrants. This is signaled by figures from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and an OECD survey. Accordingly, newcomers report racism and discrimination in everyday life, as a study by the industrialized nations organization OECD showed on Wednesday.

“Experiences of discrimination are reported, especially when looking for accommodation and in public life, i.e. on the street, in restaurants and in shops,” said Thomas Liebig from the OECD. Nevertheless, Germany remains an attractive destination for skilled workers from abroad. The OECD said that the desire to come increased rather than decreased among participants in the survey. But ultimately only around one in 20 people have now moved to Germany.

Increase in employment only thanks to newcomers

It is undisputed that the German economy is dependent on immigration due to the aging society. According to the employment agency, only foreigners are contributing to the increase in employment on the German labor market. “Never before have so many people been employed in Germany as they are currently,” said BA boss Andrea Nahles in Nuremberg. The increase in employment in 2023 is due exclusively to people without a German passport. The majority of these concern people from third countries outside the European Union (EU). “That’s new too,” said Nahles. “This also applies if we exclude the refugee countries Ukraine, Syria or Afghanistan.” This trend is likely to continue.

This trend has been evident in many new federal states for a long time. You can find out more about the phenomenon here.

According to the BA, the number of Germans employed fell by 77,000 last year, falling for the first time since the first Corona year in 2020. The BA put the increase in employment from third countries at 257,000, of which 53,000 were from Ukraine alone. In total, the BA recorded around 34.7 million employees subject to social security contributions in June 2023. Foreign workers are becoming increasingly important for the local job market, said Nahles. The IAB research institute assumes that there would be seven million fewer people available to the labor market by 2035 if immigration were stopped.

Barriers to immigration

Nahles appealed to the population to support foreign employees. “Society has to help ensure that people like to come and feel comfortable here and also want to stay,” said the former SPD leader. »Integration doesn't just mean doing work, but also being integrated into society and being welcome here.«

However, according to the OECD, those who have made it to Germany report more discrimination than expected before moving. On the other hand, those surveyed felt less discriminated against by state institutions such as the police or schools than they had previously expected. “There is no more discrimination in Germany than anywhere else,” emphasized OECD expert Liebig. The topic is present everywhere. "But the sensitivity is obviously very high among the specialists who made it."

For the study, the OECD re-interviewed around 6,300 people from two previous surveys on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labor. In autumn 2022, the OECD launched a survey of almost 29,000 foreign skilled workers. Of those who took part in the final survey, around 92 percent were still abroad, while around five percent have now moved to Germany. They therefore work in sought-after professions such as engineering and as IT specialists. At 70 percent, they emphasized even more strongly than before the move that it was important to be able to speak German in everyday life. Liebig advocated clarifying visa issues more quickly and offering more German courses abroad to make immigration easier. “Open the Goethe Institute, don’t close it, please!” said Liebig.

beb/Reuters