Germany needs immigration. The population ages, baby boomers They retire and there is already a shortage of qualified labor everywhere. The German government’s stated goal is therefore to make the country attractive to skilled workers from abroad.
The Internet portal “Working in Germany” has existed for about ten years and aims to provide interested parties with help in several languages for their trip to Germany.
30,000 respondents
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, used this portal to survey thousands of skilled workers from non-EU countries over a long period of time. The objective was to better understand the motivations, hopes and fears of people considering working in Germany.
“This is a unique study in the world in which we follow people over a period of time from the moment they show interest in a country,” says Thomas Liebig of the OECD.
Nearly 30,000 people were surveyed in a first round in summer/autumn 2022. About six months later, about 10,000 of those people responded to further questions from OECD researchers. Finally, in autumn/winter 2023, a final survey was carried out on around 6,000 people.
The main countries of origin of respondents were Turkey (13 percent), India (10 percent) and Colombia (9 percent). Up to 4 percent in each case come from Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Mexico, the Philippines and Russia.
Only a few are now in Germany
In the more than twelve months between the various rounds of surveys, only a small proportion (5 percent) managed to come to Germany. These were mainly people with good contacts and knowledge of German.
Almost all of them (93 percent) work full time in Germany. Around half of them work in engineering and information technology (IT), and one in ten in the health and care sector.
Just under half earn more than 4,000 euros gross per month, 13 percent more than 6,000, and ten percent less than 2,000 euros.
The majority (59 percent) are “fairly satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their life in Germany in general. The quality of life, the German culture and mentality, as well as the host organization in Germany, stand out in a particularly positive way.
In contrast, many respondents are “dissatisfied” or “fairly dissatisfied” with their contacts with immigration authorities (40 percent) and with their income and economic situation (40 percent).
Racism and discrimination
Many of those surveyed are very concerned about being victims of discrimination and racism in Germany.
However, those who arrived in Germany during the survey and work here cannot allay these fears. On the contrary: reality is worse than feared.
“Of those who have arrived in Germany, more than half say they have been discriminated against and disadvantaged in the housing market. Many, almost 40 percent, also report experiences of discrimination and racism in shops, restaurants and on the street,” says Thomas Liebig. “These are alarmingly high numbers.”
Only their experiences with the police and in the schools their children attend were better than feared, according to respondents.
The authors of the OECD study recommend that Germany improve the staffing of visa offices abroad and immigration authorities in Germany. In addition, aid for learning German abroad should be expanded. It is also urgent to take measures against discrimination and racism.
(gg/ers)