Recruit employees from abroad via social media.
(Photo: dpa)
Cologne Youssef El Gorch has made it: He is doing an apprenticeship as an industrial electrician at HBS Elektrobau based in Oettersdorf in Thuringia. Born and raised in Morocco, he completed his training as a mechatronics technician there. He also learned German – with the aim of working and developing in Germany.
HBS Elektrobau looked for employees in Morocco, tested his knowledge of mathematics and physics and interviewed him, says the 28-year-old. HBS invited him to Germany for an apprenticeship. The dual training “means a future for me personally,” says El Gorch.
His way to Germany is an example of the federal government’s “Make IT in Germany” initiative with the aim of attracting skilled workers from abroad. The portal of the same name informs those interested in immigrating how they can successfully make their way to Germany. Companies can get advice on how to recruit employees abroad and how to integrate international specialists. Such initiatives are sorely needed.
The Federal Employment Agency (BA) recently warned of a skills shortage of 400,000 people per year. There is a shortage of employees in all sectors. The digital association Bitkom estimates the need for IT specialists at around 100,000 and the Central Association of German Crafts at 250,000 – and the trend is rising.
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Adél Holdampf-Wendel, Head of Labor Law and Work 4.0 at Bitkom, emphasizes: “Since the gap with young professionals from Germany cannot be completely closed for demographic reasons alone and the training takes a long time, we are absolutely dependent on qualified immigration.”
>> Read here: How a lack of courage among applicants fuels the shortage of skilled workers
So far, urgently needed workers have mainly come to Germany from EU countries. That could change. The Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research of the Federal Employment Agency emphasizes “that migration from the EU will decrease noticeably in the next few years”. The reason: the other EU countries are also facing major demographic problems. The federal government has recognized the problem, “but the hurdles for the immigration of skilled workers from third countries are still very high”.
Reach out to potential employees on social media
The German Economic Institute (IW) emphasizes that foreign job exchanges and social media channels such as LinkedIn are very interesting for recruiting abroad. At EU level, for example, there is the Eures job exchange. Companies can also advertise jobs in several languages on make-it-in-germany.com. However, there is one group of potential employees that companies do not pay enough attention to: foreign graduates from German universities. They are already in the country and are familiar with the culture and language.
Once suitable candidates have been found, the bureaucracy remains. “Companies should make an effort at an early stage and be patient for the process,” advises the IW. It sometimes takes a few weeks or months, especially if the foreign professional qualifications are also recognized. Companies receive support via the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training’s website recognizing-in-germany.de and from the local employer service points of the Federal Employment Agency.
In addition, the competence center for securing skilled workers, Kofa, has developed a kind of checklist in order to integrate foreign colleagues well and keep them in the long term. According to this list, it makes sense, for example, to provide the international employees with a personal contact person right from the start, to promote cultural exchange in the company through joint events and to help the families moving in with them in finding kindergarten and school places. Last but not least, the responsible chambers and associations provide their member companies with advice and support.
A few weeks ago, El Gorch completed his shortened two-year apprenticeship in Germany and is now employed at HBS. Karsten Drews, Managing Director of HBS, and Frank Walter, Head of Training at HBS, are very satisfied. “For ten years we have been acquiring in countries such as Morocco, Romania, Spain and Hungary – also in Ukraine, but that is currently difficult because of the war,” says Drews. “We offer an all-round carefree package with our own training center, our own dormitories, and the vocational school is only 100 meters away.”
El Gorch joined HBS two years ago. “Five made it and are now working for us,” says Training Manager Walter.
More: Head of the Federal Employment Agency, Andrea Nahles, calls for immigration to be made easier