On 16 August, CSU Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer presented the main thrusts of a new law on economic immigration, the ‘Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz’, that has been formulated in close collaboration with both the CDU Economy Minister and the SPD Employment Minister. This new legislation has a clear goal, namely to facilitate the arrival of foreign skilled labor into Germany and by skilled meaning those who hold a third level education diploma or who have completed skilled training. This move is in response to German companies’ growing demand for skilled manpower. Thus the government intends to remove the clause that includes the preference for hiring German nationals or European nationals for skilled positions. Several issues however remain outstanding including questions over what will happen with those whose asylum requests are pending but who have already integrated into the labor market. A draft law is expected to be submitted before year-end.
Ranging from bakers to engineers. In a document called ‘Key points for a coherent approach to skill labor immigration from abroad’, the Interior Minister started by emphasizing what was at stake for the future law thus: “the dearth of skilled manpower is now posing a significant risk to the German economy,” and this is being augmented by digitalization and demographic developments.
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