Germany’s Next Federal Government Should Facilitate Immigration of Skilled Workers

The next German federal government should improve the conditions for the immigration of skilled workers from abroad. This is the proposal that Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for Migration Research puts forward in an article for ifo Schnelldienst. “Above all, the incoming government should expand employment opportunities for immigrants with a visa for jobseekers while they seek work in their field. It should also improve the visa process and the system for scheduling appointments for foreign professionals,” Poutvaara says.

“Immigrants with a visa for jobseekers should be allowed to take up gainful employment outside their qualifications when looking for a job in Germany. This should also be possible over the employment of up to 10 hours a week on a trial basis that is currently allowed,” Poutvaara says. So far, the Immigration of Skilled Workers Act allows only employment on a trial basis of no more than ten hours per week. In addition, immigrants must provide for their own livelihoods during the entire duration of their stay. “The required proof of funds can be reduced from 100 percent to 50 percent. However, immigrants with a visa for jobseekers should still have no entitlement to social benefits while looking for a job,” Poutvaara says.

Visa processes and appointment scheduling should be further optimized and digitalized in the recruitment of skilled workers. “Online interviews with applicants would be a useful addition to relieve the burden on embassies or consulates abroad and create further capacity,” Poutvaara says.

In addition to the Immigration of Skilled Workers Act, the next German government should improve the integration of refugees into the labor market. “One possibility would be to include the number of job vacancies as an additional criterion for housing refugees,” Poutvaara says. Integration measures should primarily create opportunities for refugee women. This would allow them to combine work and family and to (re)enter the labor market. Today, almost one in three asylum seekers is female, and yet there is still no comprehensive gender-specific approach to integration.