Germany wants to create ‘green card’ to attract foreign labor

The German government wants to launch its own “green card” to try to fill the country’s huge labor shortage. Industry associations have been complaining for some time about the lack of skilled workers, and the Ministry of Labor suggests that the shortage of professionals is slowing economic growth.

The Federation of German Associations of Employers in the Metallurgical and Electrical Industry, Gesamtmetall, says that two out of five companies in the sector have production jeopardized by lack of workers. The ZDH (German Confederation of Craftsmen) states that the country lacks about 250,000 qualified professionals.

The new “opportunity card”, recently presented by the Minister of Labour, Hubertus Heil, wants to facilitate the entry of foreigners into Germany to look for vacancies, even if they do not yet have a job offer in view.

To do so, they must meet at least three of the following four criteria:

1) A university degree or professional qualification;

2) Professional experience of at least three years;

3) Knowledge of the language or previous residence in Germany;

4) Be under 35 years of age.

But Minister Heil said there will be limits and conditions. In press interviews, he stressed that the number of cards will be limited according to the needs stipulated by the German government.

“It’s about attracting qualified immigrants in a hassle-free process. So it’s important to say: those with the ‘opportunity card’ will be able to support themselves while they’re here,” Heil told public radio station WDR on Wednesday. /09).

Good opportunity for foreigners

Sowmya Thyagarajan – who left India in 2016 to pursue a doctorate in aeronautical engineering in Hamburg – assesses some changes as positive. She currently runs her own company in Germany, Foviatech, which develops software to streamline transport and health services.

“I think this points system can be a great opportunity for those who come from abroad to work in Germany,” says Thyagarajan in an interview with DW. “Especially due to the lack of young workforce in Germany.”

At the time of recruitment, Thyagarajan’s company gives preference to Germans and European Union citizens, simply because of the bureaucracy involving those who have other nationalities.

Regarding the four criteria stipulated by the government, she makes reservations: qualifications and language skills are important, but the other prerequisites are not so practical.

“I’m not sure if it’s very important for the worker to be under 35, because it’s not necessary to be young. Qualification is what matters most”, emphasizes Thyagarajan.

As for the minimum of three years of experience, she is also skeptical, since in some cases a degree already provides the necessary experience. “For some positions, experience is not necessary. But for others, experience is important.”

New obstacles?

But there are those who reject Minister Heil’s new “opportunity card”. “It’s creating big, unnecessary obstacles that make the system even more complicated,” says Holger Bonin, research director at the IZA (Institute for Labor Economics) in Bonn.

For the expert, the points system will simply cause more bureaucracy. “Why don’t they simplify the process? Give people a visa to look for work and, if they don’t find anything within a certain time, they will have to leave the country?”, asks Bonin.

“Adding extra points makes everything more complicated, and employers can decide whether these criteria are important during recruitment. Therefore, professionals would not need a card as a pre-selection”, he emphasizes.

Bonin also agrees that some of the criteria may not be as important to employers in Germany. For example: for an international company –where its employees communicate primarily in English– it does not matter whether the candidates speak German or have lived in Germany.

Cultural and structural problems

Germany has some cultural disadvantages compared to other western nations that want to attract skilled workers: on the one hand, German is spoken less in the world than English.

“Skilled workers almost always seek to move to English-speaking countries,” says Thyagarajan. “To a certain extent, it is important [que nossos funcionários falem alemão], because we are in Germany. I mean, at least basic proficiency is required.”

Another issue is that German employers traditionally place more value on diplomas and qualifications, and these are not always recognized in Germany, or take months to be revalidated in the country. “These problems will not be solved by creating an ‘opportunity card'”, says Bonin.

There are still other systemic problems for German employers: local authorities use different parameters to recognize diplomas and qualifications; and employees still need to certify translations of diplomas in notaries.

Minister Heil says he intends to resolve these bureaucracies. “I think it’s very, very necessary that, in addition to a modern immigration law, the country can simplify the bureaucratic monster of recognition of qualifications,” Heil told WDR.

To that end, he said he would like to see a federal agency that can quickly revalidate certificates from other countries, as well as offices in Germany that can support overstretched consulates abroad.