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More skilled immigrants 'key' to German success

Published: 4 Feb 13 11:26 CET | Print version
Updated: 4 Feb 13 15:14 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20130204-47743.html

Germany will need large numbers of highly skilled immigrants in the coming years to compensate for its rapidly ageing population, according to a new report released by the OECD on Monday.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Germany was lagging behind lots of other industrial countries when it came to attracting enough highly educated workers.

"While the German immigration system is generous for graduate applicants, immigration is much more difficult in occupations for which no university-level degree is required. However, that is precisely where the lack of workers in Germany is relatively acute," the OECD wrote in the report.

Each year, around 25,000 people come to Germany from the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) for jobs. They make up only 0.02 percent of the German population, whereas in Australia, Denmark, Canada and England this figure is between five and ten times higher.

Finding a way to boost the number of professional immigrants was, the OECD said, key to Germany securing its global competitiveness – especially as its population ages in the coming decades.

Check out The Local's My German Career series for expat success stories

It needed first though to re-define its entry laws and make them clearer, as despite them being less strict than other countries they were viewed “domestically and abroad as restrictive and hard to navigate,” the report said.

German employers still seldom recruit workers from outside Germany, the OECD complained.

"Even companies that expect to face a labour shortage in the future rarely consider the possibility. This could become a problem," warned OECD deputy secretary-general Yves Leterme.

"Germany's prosperity depends to a considerable extent on whether it manages to remain competitive despite its ageing population," he said.

"It will become difficult to cope with the projected labour shortage without an appropriate immigration strategy."

DPA/AFP/The Local/jcw

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What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

#1
12:43 February 4, 2013 by smart2012
Ops, I thought Germany could survive alone and wanted even to put fences at boarders. Well done Verkel.

Also, press showed that immigration is booming. However the figures in this article show this is bullshit, as usual btw when in Germany u talk about booming.

Am not surprise why people do not go to Germany, as living and working standards are low for immigrants.

All the best
Report abuse »
#2
12:52 February 4, 2013 by ChussKeDweele
Just an idea Germany: accept academics from other countries as equal. Your universities are not better than, let's say, Canada's.
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#3
13:14 February 4, 2013 by smart2012
And no advantages in working in Germany. Few money, high tax, poor retirement at 67. Why people should go to Germany?
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#4
13:49 February 4, 2013 by yllusion
@smart2012 I really don't understand why you complain so much. If you are in Germany and not happy, move out. You don't have to stay. Germany needs engineers and highly educated people for technical and scientific jobs. These people have no problem living here. I know several engineers and I myself am in academia, and life is pretty ok here. Tax is relatively high but salary and living costs are reasonable. The only thing that is a certain obstacle is the language. It takes time to learn german and it makes life more difficult concerning integration. But regardless, these highly specialized jobs such as engineering are often required in companies where english is no problem. I know several spanish and italian engineers who work here and they don't know german. So this scenario that you are portraying is perhaps only true for people who are less educated and come for jobbing. If you want better than Germany, why don't you try Switzerland or Scandinavia? You don't have so many other places on earth that can really be a better place to live than Germany. Appreciate what you have, in the first place. Then try to improve your situation.
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#5
14:16 February 4, 2013 by ishq
germany has to recognise degrees earned outside EU. in my case, my wife is a medical doctor. and there is only difference of 1 of studies but she was told to study 6 years and then apply for internship and after that she will get a licence to practice as a doctor., we support integration and language, but even my wife learn german at highest level she wont get licence to practice.
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#6
14:33 February 4, 2013 by yllusion
It's common to find protectionism in some fields. It's unfair, but Germany isn't the only country to do that.
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#7
14:37 February 4, 2013 by tedesco
Smart2012 must be the funniest guy in every party.

To close the subject: What yllusion said.
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#8
15:14 February 4, 2013 by Berlin fuer alles
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Germany was lagging behind lots of other industrial countries when it came to attracting enough highly educated workers.

Each year, around 25,000 people come to Germany from the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) for jobs. They make up only 0.02 percent of the German population, whereas in Australia, Denmark, Canada and England this figure is between five and ten times higher.

These two paragraphs in the above article support smart2012's reasoning. @yllusion. You are in academia so hold your argument until you come out into the real workplace world. It is not the theoretical bed of roses you think it is.
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#9
15:47 February 4, 2013 by yllusion
@Berlin fuer alles Who told you I am a theoretician? I'm an engineer as well working in a very practical and industry-oriented research field. As I said, I know several engineers doing well in high tech companies such as EADS, MAN, Kuka, Eurocopter, etc. I know also other engineers doing well in other high-tech companies around Europe, in the Netherlands, in Sweden. The difference is in the level of education required in the job market, not in fairness of the system or legislation. There are many jobs for those with qualification. That is what I am saying. I am not saying that everything is perfect, but everything isn't bad either.
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#10
15:47 February 4, 2013 by SchwabHallRocks
Germany's fertility rate is 1.35, just like Japan, Italy, Russia (France is 1.97, USA 2.01)

Last year, in Japan, they sold more diapiers for adults than babies. Germany cannot be far behind.

The primary skill Germam immigrants will need is "bed care" in the very near future.
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#11
16:16 February 4, 2013 by Berlin fuer alles
@yllusion.

and I myself am in academia (13:49 February 4, 2013 by yllusion)
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#12
17:16 February 4, 2013 by raandy
Yllusion.. "

I am not saying that everything is perfect, but everything isn't bad either."

Thats a great old standby, for playing middle ground.

There are good jobs here for qualified persons, if you get IN the system, contract, life time , ect, Then I agree with Yllusion....I am not saying that everything is perfect, but everything isn't bad either.
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#13
17:28 February 4, 2013 by yllusion
@Berlin fuer alles Think about what you are saying first. I am in academia, but I am not a theoretician. The former does not imply the latter. In the university you can pursue a doctor degree but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do theoretical work. You can do applied research connected or not with a company. Recently 2 PhD candidates got their degrees working together with a company. One of them was BMW. Everybody who comes out from here with his/her PhD in hands finds a job easily in the industry. That is a fact.
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#14
17:38 February 4, 2013 by smart2012
Guys, first I give u news. I am moving to Singapore, where I will earn 2.3 times more than here.

Second, here they are talking not about engineeer, here they are referring to technical specialized workers, ie guys working on the line of a plant, or builders, or nurses, ie jobs a German would not do as badly paid...

Do not confuse things. Germany has more engineers they need, an even more in the future, as big enterprises are moving RD and productions in Asia. Ps this is the reason why I am moving there
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#15
17:42 February 4, 2013 by yllusion
@raandy I am not playing middle ground. That was exactly my point, because some people here complain as if Germany was going through a crisis like in Spain. But that is far from true. No country is perfect, but such level of criticism towards the market place here is unfunded. Germany is coping very well with the crisis and given the overall situation, it's pretty good. I am well aware that in certain fields the working conditions aren't good, but come on, those people still have a job and an income. It is a natural process of the country to find the issues and correct them. And regardless, if a person is not satisfied, the door is open. Don't stay, take the fruits of the tree and complain about it.

@smart2012 1) Sorry, how can you say that Germany has more enginners than they need? It is absorbing a lot of foreign engineers! 2) Good luck with your future job.
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#16
18:44 February 4, 2013 by smart2012
Yllusion, it is absorbing younger engineers, but older engineers cannot find jobs (as too qualified, too high salary requirements). Net net you will find avalibale engineers without a job.

Second, good German engineers prefer to work either in Asia or in Switzerland, as taxation in Germany is too high (40%, in Switzerland 15%, in Singapore 18%).

Am not sure how long u have been living in Germany, but soon you will see 50-55 years old great guys being fired by your company during a reorganization. And you will see them getting depressed. This is the nig issue in Germany. Temp agency and low salaries for youngs has killed the competitiveness of 50-55 years old guys, who are now struggling.
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#17
18:52 February 4, 2013 by raandy
Yllusion, Your preaching to the choir , I agree you never said it was a rose garden only better than what ever is in 2nd place. -:)
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#18
20:55 February 4, 2013 by PaulWilleaux
Member states of these organizations like the OCED should just ditch their old historic names and adopt standardized identifiers like "Commerce Zone TZ-176". Names like "France" and "Germany" only stir up old feelings of divisiveness and get in the way when there is still so much money to be made.
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#19
23:26 February 4, 2013 by KeenObserver
Smart2012,

I´ve read your negative comments for awhile and I want to say, good luck with your new job in Singapore. I am in Germany right now and I can say it is not a bad country at all. Though salary is not as high as some European country, the cost of living is relatively reasonable (yes, a 2 room flat does not cost more than 1K as you mention in other article - please don´t confuse other non-german readers here because it simple is not true! Back to your `Singapore Dream`- well, I´m from there and I can safely say, a lot of policies are changing and its not for the better for expatriate. If you don´t believe me, talk to some locals (variety of them) on their political situation and what changes are coming). Some of my European friends had changed their expat package to permanent position with much lower salary due to the crisis and and trust me .. cost of living in Singapore ain´t cheap at all. Live there and you will understand.
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#20
23:43 February 4, 2013 by icedearth
I love how the Germans operate a business, a city, a country! GERMANY ROCKS!
Report abuse »
#21
03:37 February 5, 2013 by lovemymac&cheez
@ChussKeDweele, could not agree more. First accept the professionals with the degrees, and also accept that German is not the lingua franca... although it is important to be able to interact with the less educated locals in everyday life, global business language is still English.

The regional stubborness of trying to be extra-special will only make you less competitive.

@PaulWilleaux: great idea. This would clear matters of the stubborn regional baggage, which is only that, baggage. I would be fine if we all speak English or Mandarin...world languages.

@smart2012: good luck with Singapore. Many colleagues working there love it as it has more of the Western flavor, people actually utilize deodorant and don't spit on the floor.
Report abuse »
#22
11:23 February 5, 2013 by charlenej
The first or second language in just about every is English. High-skilled professionals who have already had a lot of schooling and obtained experience are not going to want to move somewhere where they have to learn German, a language that does them no good basically anywhere else except Austria and Switzerland.

And while Germany does have some upsides like healthcare, maternity leave, relatively safe overall environment, etc., the culture can be extremely uptight and unfriendly and it's not known for encouraging creativity or out-of-the-box thinking. It's just not on a lot of high-skilled peoples' Places to Live list.
Report abuse »
#23
15:44 February 5, 2013 by yllusion
@smart2012 Unemployment of older and experienced workers is not only a German problem, it is affecting many many countries in Europe, and this is a consequence of the same greed that leads companies to move to Asia, which is to explore cheap labour at their expense and at our expense, disguised as a move to promote dynamism and innovation with younger workers (which are cheaper and obedient). This is the kind of business practice that is killing Europe, and that policy makers fail to deal with. It requires a true political union at European level and this we are lacking today. This is not about Germany only, this concerns the industrialized western economies, especially the aging Europe.
Report abuse »
#24
05:42 February 6, 2013 by pvwg
Who is the author of the article? (Missing.) What is the name of the OECD study? (Missing.) What date was the OECD study published? (Missing.) Excellent journalism!
Report abuse »
#25
12:29 February 6, 2013 by BR549
Ahhh...another article in "The Local" to get people whining and complaining again. Bring up any topic about immigration or ethnicity on this web-site and watch the comments complaining fly!

I'm willing to bet that most of the people who complain about living / working in Germany have substandard German language skills or have not made a thorough effort to integrate.

I speak German, have 3 university degrees from outside Germany and all were accepted. I feel completely accepted and happy here and have a great job with a great company.

BTW, Germans are just as friendly or hard on themselves as they are "others". Yes, I agree with PVWG...poor journalism.
Report abuse »
#26
17:20 February 6, 2013 by Darra
ishq have said:

"germany has to recognise degrees earned outside EU. in my case, my wife is a medical doctor. and there is only difference of 1 of studies but she was told to study 6 years and then apply for internship and after that she will get a licence to practice as a doctor., we support integration and language, but even my wife learn german at highest level she wont get licence to practice. "

This is very interesting. If you are in Germany, you go to a doctor, and the doctor happens to be a foreigner, how confident would you be?

Also , if you need to have a surgery and the doctor is from ...... ( insert country name) , does it make you feel better or worse , compared to if he is from .... (insert another country's name ) .
Report abuse »
#27
21:41 February 6, 2013 by ChrisRea
An interesting article on the Swedish edition of The Local about discrimination against foreign workers:

http://www.thelocal.se/46022/20130205/#.URKuRx3v784
Report abuse »
#28
22:23 February 6, 2013 by ovalle3.14
Alright folks, I can just speak about my field. Upon coming here I found that:

-I as a whole am not regarded in the same light as someone who had studied here (I studied in Scandinavia), apparently not having studied here implied I didn't know the local standards.

-The professional board is not prepared in any way to receive newcomers wishing to integrate to the profession. Null. Zero.

-Except in the biggest offices, no business at all is conducted in English. Yes I know we're in Germany. Still we're in the Western World 21st century and I doubt people moving to Singapore or Scandinavia work there in the local language. In MY field, if you don't speak very good to excellent German, you have low chances of entering the working world.

In my opinion this has nothing to do with being a foreigner, but some mentalities need to relax for this country to come to terms with its childless reality.
Report abuse »
#29
13:45 February 8, 2013 by guliver
Darra

and Ishq

I was graduated in Medicine in western Europe out side Germany and after over coming the state exame I was accepted to speciality in a German University,

Naturaly I had to study the German language and to pass a German language examination before the employment.

I had 5 years of interesting work+study in the Uni and must say that I was treated well, I worked together with the German doctors and brought my speciality to end and then returned back home,

I guess the difficulties are made for those who wish to immigrate and stay in Germany,as in all European countries you are not allowed to get a permanent work permis in medicine as long as you do not have the citenzenship of the country ,in Germany you may work in the University for speciality purpose only with a temporany proffessional permision,
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