As we all know, there is a shortage of labor in Germany and an aging population is also getting worse. The current influx of refugees has not been a good solution to the labor shortage. Germany has actively selected 13 countries as sources of labor to replenish the "fresh blood", and although the choice of these 13 countries is also interesting, it is worth talking about in detail that many foreign workers who have already come to Germany have complained about Germany and the Germans, and even the OECD has criticized Germany for this.
01 There is a growing shortage of people
The Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday that about 693,000 babies were born in 2023, a figure that fell to the lowest level in 10 years. Compared to the previous year, the number of births fell by 6.2 per cent. In eastern Germany, the percentage is even as low as 9.2%.
With the declining birth rate and the "baby boomer" generation approaching retirement age, the German labor market is under pressure in the short term, but it is not promising in the long term.
At present, too few young people join the labour market every year. And with the advent of the "retirement wave", Germany will lose 7 million workers by 2035.
According to the German media, "almost any work cannot be carried out without skilled workers and young immigrants from all over the world". According to calculations by the Institute for Labor Market and Careers (IAB) in Nuremberg, between 300,000 and 350,000 third-country workers must enter Germany every year as employment migrants to fill this gap.
The bad news, however, is that only 70,000 employed immigrants entered Germany in 2022 and 40,000 in the first half of 2023 – although the trend is upward, it is not enough, and the gap is still huge.
02 Where do people come from?
The Federal Employment Agency (BA) hopes that this will improve in the future, on the one hand, by providing immigration advice to German companies and potential skilled workers, and on the other hand, by more actively recruiting skilled workers and interns. So, where do people come from?
According to the Federal Employment Agency's assessment, partner countries suitable for the introduction of immigrants should be closely aligned with the three main challenges facing the German economy: social ageing, the transition to a climate-oriented economy, and digitalization.
After some selection and weighing, Germany was able to select 13 out of 194 countries, or even more specifically, 20 out of 144 occupations that required labor.
Which 13 countries have been "flipped"? That's really interesting---
Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador;
Mediterranean countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan;
Asian countries: India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and the Philippines;
African States: Ghana.
03 Criticized Germany
Although it is true that Germany is in dire need of foreign workers, when they arrive in Germany, they often suffer from many unpleasant things, commonly known as "discrimination". Even the OECD has come out to criticize Germany. A survey earlier this year showed that the daily lives of newcomers are rife with racism and discrimination.
Thomas Liebig of the OECD said: "Experiences of discrimination are reported from time to time, especially in the search for accommodation and in public life, including on the streets, in restaurants and shops. Despite this, Germany remains an attractive destination for skilled workers abroad. The survey participants' desire to travel has increased rather than decreased. But in the end, only about one in twenty people moved to Germany.
There is no doubt about the dependence of the German economy on immigrants due to the aging of society. According to the Employment Agency, only foreigners contribute to job growth in the German labor market. The job growth in 2023 is entirely due to people who do not have German passports. Most of them are people from third countries outside the European Union (EU).
This is a completely new trend.
Andrea Nahles, former leader of the SPD and now head of the Federal Employment Agency, appealed: "Society not only needs to make people feel comfortable and want to stay. Integration doesn't just mean working, it also means being integrated into society and being welcomed. “
According to the OECD, those foreign workers who arrive in Germany experience more discrimination than would have been expected before they moved to Germany.
04 The dissatisfaction of new immigrants
"I think there's a lot of discrimination here. As a human being, people judge me based on my language skills. Even though I had a very successful career and came to this country with an EU Blue Card, it still seems that I am considered a second-class citizen. “
"I found the Germans very contemptuous of me. “
"It's very difficult to make friends here. Even after three years here, it is almost impossible to come into contact with the locals. It's OK to have an international circle of friends, but people move out every six months or so. Life here can be very lonely. “
The above quotes come from a South African, a Canadian and an Omani who participated in a survey of foreign skilled workers in Germany. A total of 979 people participated in the survey, with equal numbers of women and men. The average age of respondents was 42 years. Almost all of them have a college degree (87%). The survey was conducted among members of InterNations, a network of scholars for expats far from home.
InterNations has approximately 4.8 million members worldwide. Once a year, the organization visits members with information about their life in the host country: how do they feel there, is it easy or difficult to find an apartment, is it inconvenient to arrange visas, Internet connections and bank accounts, can they make friends, etc.
In 2022, Germany performed worst out of 53 countries in housing, digital infrastructure, language and administration. The same is true for 2023.
Currently, Germany is also at the bottom of the 53 countries. In the overall rankings, only South Korea, Turkey, Norway and Kuwait fared worse than Germany, which is ranked 49th.
The survey, which surveyed 12,065 people in 172 countries around the world, proved that it is not enough to attract qualified workers or workers who are willing to be trained to enter Germany. They must also be persuaded to stay in Germany. This is the key challenge.
A survey of expatriates in Germany shows that:
Three out of 10 respondents do not feel at home here and do not have a social circle of friends.
One in two said it was difficult to make friends in the country.
A third agreed with the statement that the Germans were unfriendly to their foreign citizens.
"The people here are too cold, too direct, and unfriendly to me. As a foreigner, I couldn't really feel comfortable here. I also noticed that they were quite inflexible, cross-culturally sensitive, and respectful of other cultures. A Romanian woman wrote.
One Englishman said: "Germany seems to be caught in a vicious circle. On the one hand, it recognizes that as an aging society, there is a huge labor gap and that the smooth functioning of society depends on immigrants. On the other hand, it represents a culture that is by no means multicultural, which makes life and work in Germany not easy.
One Nepalese wrote, "Cultural differences and language barriers have had a significant impact on my social life. The locals already have their own circle of friends, and they are not interested in international friendship. There were also several racist incidents here, which I didn't expect. “
Last year, a business psychologist in Hamburg surveyed more than 100 Filipino caregivers via social media to find out how satisfied they were with their jobs. Many said they felt unappreciated and that their professional qualifications were not recognized. One in five reports of discrimination and racism. For example, because they can't speak perfect German, they are insulted and treated with condescension.
Take 37-year-old Raymund Guevara, for example. Originally from the Philippines, he worked as a nurse in a hospital in Lower Saxony for five years and has now moved to Florida with his wife. According to him: in the United States, as a caregiver, he received state support to buy a house, obtained a driver's license and a residence permit, which is easier and simpler than in Germany. "In the U.S., we have more options and life is more comfortable. “