Germany needs to quickly recruit many more skilled workers from abroad

Skilled workers are becoming increasingly scarce. In 2021, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) identified a bottleneck for 148 occupations. Many of us could unintentionally feel the shortage of skilled workers, which is increasingly expanding into a labor shortage, last summer: long queues at the airport; the bakery, which now closes earlier; or restaurants that have increased their number of closed days.

In addition to digitization and decarbonization, demographics are also changing the labor market. Our Institute for Employment Research (IAB) analyzed the demographic data. If Germany remained without immigration, the labor force potential would fall by seven million people by 2035.

Despite Corona and the energy crisis, the number of employees subject to social security contributions has climbed to a record high of 34 million – that’s 2.4 million more than five years ago. This trend, which is positive in itself, binds skilled workers and workers and exacerbates the shortage.

The balance of the Skilled Immigration Act is sobering