2 million German free jobs, new migration law expected in March

“Security of qualified workers is ensuring prosperity,” said Hübertus Heil (SPD) on Friday (20.01.23) in Bundestag. If we do not remove the obstacles now, we will lack seven million qualified workers by 2035. ”

The new government strategy, which was passed on for review to relevant commissions in Bundestag, envisions exploiting the potential of the domestic workforce, increasing professional training offers for young people who leave school, improving working conditions for mothers with children, or increasing prospects for employing refugees or denied asylum seekers.

But according to Hale, exploitation of domestic potential is not enough to solve the problem: without migration, we cannot get out of this crisis, the minister said. He announced that the government will pre-empt a new migration bill since March.

Chance card based on a point system

Deutsche Welle has a preliminary draft of this bill, aimed at facilitating the exile of the workforce from third countries. The main innovation of this bill is the so-called “odds card”, which means a year-long visa to look for work in Germany. The visa is given on the basis of a score system, which can be collected based on four criteria: language recognition, professional experience, age and relationship with Germany.

So for example, according to the current draft, six points are enough to obtain a one - year visa to look for work in Germany. Four points you get if you have a professional qualifications, three points if you have at least three years of work experience, three points for good German knowledge.

Two points are taken for sufficient knowledge of the language, two points being given for under 35 years or for those with only two years of work experience.

One point is to connect with Germany, so if you've been living regularly for at least six months in Germany before.

Immigrant contingent increased under Western Balkan regulation

Another element of the new bill is increasing the contingent of workers coming with Western Balkan regulations. According to the draft that has DW, this container is projected to double, up from 250,000 currently at 50,000 a year's maximum. Heil said (20.012023) in Bundestag that there are plans for this regulation to expand for other countries.

Herbert Brücker, professor at the Lost University in Berlin, welcomes both the establishment of the contingent and the expansion of the model with other countries. Its institute deals with research in the area of exile and has been closely dealing with migrants coming from the Western Balkans regulator (BP). In an interview with the Albanian DW, he said this regulation has resulted in much success. The employment crash is very high, and only 2 percent of immigrants coming by this regulation receive social assistance”. So it's a certain model that has a positive impact not only on the economy, but also on the social state. Even the salaries of workers coming up with the Western Balkan Order are as high as locals' initial salaries, and even slightly higher than those of workers coming from other EU countries, Brücker told the DW.

Adjusting Western Balkans: Unqualified Migration

Adjusting the Western Balkans exists since 2015 and enables citizens of six BP (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) privileged access to the German labour market, regardless of their qualifications. The prerequisite for obtaining a work visa is a regular work contract in Germany. No specific knowledge of the German language is needed.

As a spokesman for Germany's Interior Ministry told DW, until December 31st, 2022, at the Central Book of Foreigners, (AZR) found some 62,000 migrants with residence permits under this regulation. According to the spokesman, it is thought that the actual number will be higher, because the statistical identity of immigrants from the Western Balkans regulation has begun to take place since 2020.

BP regulation: Visa contingent exhausted

Adjusting the Western Balkans is in effect by the end of 2023, but in the new draft of the migration law it is projected to be done indefinitely. Both the growth of the contingent and the lifting of the deadline are two measures that comply not only with the need of the German market for labour power but also with the desire of citizens of these countries to emigrate to Germany.

According to the German Foreign Ministry, consulates of Western Balkan countries have issued 25 000 visas under this regulation in 2022, depleting the law-designed contingent. The number of visa requirements under Western Balkan regulation is much higher, a foreign ministry spokesman told DW.

Currently, 2 million jobs are not available

According to the new migration bill, it is estimated that, according to these changes in Germany, an average of up to 650,000 new workforce a year will come. For many experts this does not satisfy Germany's need for labor power at all, as highlighted by a study of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry that was released in mid-January Berlin, Germany, which now has 2 million jobs. From this lack of workers, Europe's largest economy has 100 billion euros less national income annually. The situation deteriorates year after year:

On one side because of the country's demographic map: In the next 15 years, a third of the current employees will retire. But also because of structural changes caused by digitalization, as well as changes due to Corona's pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Experts estimate Germany needs 400,000 qualified immigrants annually. Therefore, even many of them also face Herbert Brücker propose that the very successful Western Balkan regulation expand to all countries and that there will be no restrictions on accounting. / DW