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Business & Money
Photo: DPA

Blue Card work permit scheme attracts 4,000

Published: 16 Feb 13 19:10 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20130216-48007.html

Germany’s drive to recruit highly-qualified workers from abroad has awarded more than 4,000 "Blue Card" work permits since it was launched last August, business magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported.

That number has far outweighed expectations. According to the magazine, the number of blue cards expected for the entire year had been just 3,600. The majority of the workers (983) came from India.

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Interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the scheme had brought “highly-qualified professionals from around the world to Germany.”

The second highest intake was from China, with 398 professionals from there getting blue cards, and employees from Russia and the United States coming in afterwards.

In most cases, workers must earn at least €46,400 a year to qualify but in areas experiencing skills shortages, the minimum annual salary to qualify for the scheme is €36,192.

DAPD/kkf

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

21:00 February 16, 2013 by ChrisRea
"That number has far outweighed expectations." - 10-11% more means far more? :)

Anyway, I think it is a good measure.
22:53 February 16, 2013 by spot78
Well, everything is subjective, I think the strategy is wrong, is easier to attract Highly Skilled workers ( I am one of those), if there is a job here that there is not at home, easy to move, the world is becoming smaller. The problematic has never been to attract them, that is a market issue, again, not job at home, here a lot of jobs, easy equation, the real problem is to keep them here.

And if you read the other ONE million forums, post and opinions and statistics, after few years, or when the family starts, workers are leaving, which is also a market issue, once you have more added value, and you get a better offer somewhere else where you do not have the most mentioned problems (discrimination, racisms, nice ponzi scheme called sozialversicherung), then why to stay? and that dudes, is the real problematic, how many spanish, greek, portuguese, workers will stay once they can go back home?,

Highly skilled workers, we have something in common, great mobility
02:19 February 17, 2013 by jg.
A better long term strategy might be to improve education and training opportunities for all the unemployed here in Germany. If employers could not bring in workers from abroad, they would be obliged to improve salaries and training for the roles they cannot fill.
09:20 February 17, 2013 by smart2012
4000 is a low number. Of course, with 1700 Euros a month in Germany (12 months salary, no contract close out payment) in Germany u live like a poor. Who would like to do that?

Is maybe Amazon Germany a good example? ;)
17:41 February 17, 2013 by ChrisRea
jg. is right, the long term strategy is also needed. But until that brings results, short term measures are also welcomed.
10:07 February 18, 2013 by tedesco
I am one happy holder of the Blue Card :)

Made it much easier for me (non-EU) to get it.

@smart2012

Maybe you can't read, but the article says that the - minimum - that the holder must earn is 3866 euros / month or 3016 euros in exceptions.
13:07 February 18, 2013 by jodendal
@tedesco

I am new to this Blue Card thing.. I am planning on moving to germany for work and I fall within the above 46400 Euro slot... what benifits do I get if I get this card?
19:51 February 19, 2013 by adam.müller
Germany MUST establish a quota from every country for skilled works, otherwise some groups will establish monopoly and it will create problems.
12:14 February 20, 2013 by smart2012
3866 gross my friend, ie 1700 net...
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