On 13 May 2024, State Secretary Leonie Gebers received the Canadian Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Paul Thompson for talks at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The talks focussed on recruiting skilled workers and fighting youth unemployment.
During their discussions, Deputy Minister Thompson and State Secretary Gebers noted that Canada and Germany were facing very similar labour market challenges. It was important to cope with the impact of demographic change and to accompany and support the immigration and integration of workers.
In matters of immigration and integration, Canada is considered to be a role model for other countries. The conviction that Canada is a cosmopolitan country which benefits from immigration is firmly rooted in Canadian society. With its Skilled Immigration Act, Germany has recently laid the foundation for becoming a modern country of immigrants supporting the immigration of skilled workers in a targeted way. The interlocutors exchanged views on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications and professional knowledge and skills acquired abroad, as well as their potentials, which is important for both countries.
Canadian Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Thompson reported on the trend observed in Canada that many young people were seeking an academic career, although skilled workers were urgently needed and earning opportunities after completed in-company vocational training were very good. Germany is facing a similar challenge. State Secretary Gebers presented the vocational training guarantee which was enshrined in law last year. It aims at enabling all young people to take up and successfully complete in-company vocational training.
In the following days, representatives from the Canadian and German governments will further exchanged views on various aspects of securing the supply of skilled labour. On 15 May, the Canadian-German dialogue process on migration and integration was launched.