Over a quarter of immigrants in Germany express no intention of long-term residency.
Germany's Thriving Job Market Faces a Major Weakness: Skilled Workers
The German economy is thriving, but it's struggling to fill over a million positions across various sectors, including medical professions, IT, construction, education, cooking, and transportation. The issue? A lack of skilled workers.
Fun fact: More and more immigrants are flocking to Germany to fill these roles, with employment in medical professions disproportionately high and one in five workers in the nursing sector being an immigrant.
Planning to Bolt?
However, is the perceived dream of living and working in Germany sustainable for these immigrants? The Institute for Employment Research (IAB) at the Federal Employment Agency aimed to answer this question by surveying 50,000 people born abroad who immigrated to Germany between the ages of 18 and 65, excluding asylum seekers.
The results were rather alarming—approximately 2.6 million people (26%) considered leaving Germany last year, with nearly 300,000 already having concrete plans to emigrate.
The Great Emigration: Challenges Ahead
You might wonder, where would these expats head next? Well, for those wanting to return to their countries of origin, Poland and Romania are the most popular destinations. For those eager to explore new lands, Switzerland, the US, or Spain seem to be the preferred destinations for potential wanderers.
Interestingly, it's those who moved to Germany to work or study, those who are more educated, financially successful, and proficient in German, who are more likely to express a desire to leave or have concrete plans for emigration.
Healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics sectors are also witnessing significant emigration trends, which could pose risks to Germany's economic future.
Factors Pushing Migrants Away
So, what's driving this mass exodus? There are several factors, such as:
- Familial Ties: Those returning home have often cited family reasons for their move.
- Better Opportunities: For those aiming to migrate to another country, career opportunities and higher wages usually top the list.
- Bureaucracy Nightmares: Germany's bureaucratic hurdles, its excessive red tape, and the lengthy procedures required to get things done can be a major source of frustration for immigrants.
- Feeling Overburdened: The heavy tax burden and the significant social security contributions immigrants have to make can be a major deterrent in making Germany feel like home.
- Discrimination: About two-thirds of immigrants have reported experiencing discrimination in various settings: at work, housing markets, public spaces, or during encounters with law enforcement. A third of immigrants feel neither welcome nor somewhat welcome in Germany, which increases their tendency to emigrate.
- Political Climate: The political discourse in Germany has had a negative impact, fueling feelings of exclusion and unease among immigrants that contribute to their thoughts about emigrating.
A Looming Demographic Crisis
With the German population aging rapidly, there's a pressing need for approximately 400,000 new immigrants annually to maintain the country's workforce and offset the demographic challenges.
The IAB study suggests that reducing red tape, simplifying qualification recognition, increasing digitalization, and offering tax breaks could help curb the exodus, particularly among professionally successful immigrants. A more honest and welcoming social climate is also crucial for encouraging immigrants to stay.
Curbing the Brain Drain
The latest development in Germany is a proposal by the Conservative CDU party to discourage foreign medical students from leaving after they graduate by requiring them to work as doctors for at least five years, preferably in rural areas where there's a significant shortage of medical professionals. If they choose not to, they would have to repay the costs of their education.
The health ministry, also run by the CDU, has welcomed the proposal, aiming to attract young doctors to work in Germany instead of watching them leave. As the situation evolves, it remains to be seen if such measures will succeed in retaining the skilled workers Germany desperately needs.
- The German government faces a challenge in retaining skilled workers, as approximately 2.6 million immigrants (26%) considered leaving Germany last year, with nearly 300,000 already planning to emigrate.
- A study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) found that immigration bureaucracy, high tax burden, discrimination, and political climate were major factors pushing immigrants to consider emigrating.
- In an attempt to address this issue, the Conservative CDU party has proposed a policy requiring foreign medical students to work for at least five years in rural areas upon graduation, or repay their education costs.
- The IAB suggests that reducing red tape, simplifying qualification recognition, increasing digitalization, and offering tax breaks could help curb the exodus, particularly among professionally successful immigrants.
- With the German population aging rapidly and a need for about 400,000 new immigrants annually to maintain the workforce, international news concerning Germany's policy-and-legislation aimed at retaining skilled workers is of great importance to the economy or general-news media.
