“Wirtschaftswise” Monika Schnitzer has suggested more immigration as a measure against the shortage of skilled workers. “Germany needs 1.5 million immigrants a year if, minus the considerable emigration, we have 400,000 new citizens every year and thus want to maintain the number of workers,” she told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. “We urgently need a culture of welcome. If Intel builds a factory in Magdeburg and wants to recruit foreign specialists for it, they have to feel welcome there.”
The new Skilled Workers Act goes in the right direction, said the Chairwoman of the Advisory Council on the assessment of overall economic development. However, more is needed, such as immigration offices that do not deter immigrants, but offer service. “We shouldn’t demand that foreign skilled workers speak German for every job. We should make sure that the employees at the immigration authorities speak English,” Schnitzer told the newspaper.
A week and a half ago, the majority of the traffic light coalition pushed the Skilled Immigration Act through the Bundestag. Among other things, the so-called opportunity card based on a points system is new. The criteria for which there are points include language skills, professional experience, age and connection to Germany. In the future, IT specialists should also be able to come without a university degree, provided they can demonstrate certain qualifications.
The Council of Economic Experts advises politicians. The five women and men on the board are colloquially referred to as “Wirtschaftswise”.
