DIHK: Concern about the shortage of skilled workers

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In order to solve the permit backlog for foreign skilled workers, the DIHK proposes, among other things, training courses for employees of the responsible authorities in Germany and abroad.

(Photo: dpa)

Berlin More than every second German company is affected by the shortage of skilled workers. This is the result of a current survey by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). The Skilled Immigration Act (FEG), which came into force in March 2020, has not changed this.

For this reason, the DIHK has now formulated reform proposals to speed up and simplify the immigration procedures for skilled workers and workers.

Formally, the existing regulations are “good”, but work needs to be done on practical implementation. “The complexity overwhelms the authorities themselves, not just the companies,” said Deputy DIHK General Manager Achim Dercks when presenting the study.

Government wants changes later this year

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The federal government has also recognized the need for action. She wants to revise the FEG this year. Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil and Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (both SPD) presented the central proposed changes in a guest article for the Handelsblatt.

The planned second migration package provides, among other things, that qualified specialists with professional experience should be able to take up a job in Germany, even if their professional qualification has not yet been formally recognised. This can then be made up for in Germany. Workers should also be allowed to enter the country without a specific contract to look for a job if they have previously applied for recognition of their qualifications. Specialists with a recognized qualification should also be allowed to take on non-specialist activities.

>> Also read here: Guest article by Faeser and Heil – How we can attract more foreign skilled workers

Dercks emphasized that the length of the approval process was a major hurdle. Documents are sent around the world, the officials do not implement the complex regulations uniformly, and too many authorities are involved in the approval process. “The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,” he described the situation.

DIHK: A culture change is needed in the administrations

Dercks was convinced: “We cannot solve such implementation problems with a reform of the legal paragraphs alone. On the one hand, this is about a cultural change in the administrations, but also about practical support.”

The shortage of skilled workers is already the second highest business risk for German companies, as the study shows. “The shortage of skilled workers has long since turned into a shortage of workers,” complains Gitta Connemann, Chairwoman of the SME and Economic Union (MIT).

In order to solve the approval backlog, the DIHK proposes, among other things, training courses for employees of the responsible authorities in Germany and abroad. The foreign chambers of commerce, in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office, could also help to prepare visa documents and fill out forms. A hotline from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, where employees of a foreigners authority or a company can ask questions about the complex detailed regulations, could then provide the necessary support.

>> Also read here: Hairdressers, florists, cooks – for which specialists a helper job could be more lucrative

According to the DIHK, another hurdle for many foreign applicants is the language barrier. The association is therefore in favor of promoting language acquisition and, in selected cases, lowering the language level requirements. Although the German language is “one of the most important recruitment criteria, especially for small and medium-sized companies without an international connection”, the knowledge can also be acquired during employment, according to Dercks.

There should also be other incentives for language acquisition. For the DIHK, “a faster permanent residence permit” would be conceivable.

63,000 trainees are missing: Cooperation with foreign schools is conceivable

In addition to the shortage of skilled workers, companies are particularly worried about the shortage of workers and trainees. According to the Federal Employment Agency, there were already over 63,000 vacant training positions in Germany in 2021. That is why the DIHK is also calling for reforms for the immigration of those looking for a training place without a technical college entrance qualification. A proposed solution to prepare foreign students for German training would be cooperation with foreign schools. Although there is a lack of comparable training systems abroad, the suitability and qualification of the applicants can be ensured in this way.

“Anyone who comes to us and completes an apprenticeship here has good employment opportunities afterwards,” Dercks said, justifying the effort. The companies are willing to bear the higher costs, because if you look at the demographic change, the situation is getting worse and worse. Gitta Connemann supports the proposals of the DIHK. The chair of MIT demanded: “All resources must be used – at home and abroad. Without bans on thinking.”

More: 1.7 million job vacancies – the federal government wants to make it easier for skilled workers to immigrate

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