To enable companies to achieve their full potential going forward, the Federal Government has stepped up its efforts to increase the supply of skilled labour in Germany. Despite all measures to activate untapped domestic potential, Germany’s economy will continue to also require skilled immigration. Skilled workers from European countries are already making an important contribution to the competitiveness of the German economy, made possible by the European framework of the free movement of workers.
To alleviate remaining shortages of skilled workers, complementary policies are necessary to attract qualified workers also from Non-European countries. The Fachkräftezuwanderungsgesetz specifically targets skilled workers with vocational training qualifications.
Migration and integration often go hand in hand. In Germany, there is a broad range of support services for the integration of immigrants.
Learning German is often the most important requirement for successfully integrating into society and work. The Federal Government therefore established the comprehensive, differentiated and coherent general language programme to promote learning German.
New legislation was passed to ease the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications, the so-called Anerkennungsgesetz. Recognition of equivalent qualifications is a strict prerequisite in specific professions, and makes it much easier to find a job in many others.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs initiated the programme "Integration through Qualification (IQ)". It is implemented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Employment Agency. The programme provides assistance with equivalence recognition, qualification acquisition and the integration of people with a migration background into the labour market.
The online portal "Make it in Germany" is integral to the Federal Government's efforts to bolster skilled labour immigration. It provides information on living and working in Germany and is targeted at skilled workers abroad.