It is not easy to attract immigrant workers.

SGGP 07/08/2023 09:24

Germany is desperate to attract more immigrants to bolster its workforce, but racism in German society and the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party make things difficult.

Migrant workers in Germany

According to DW, the German government is currently dealing with two of the most pressing challenges facing the country: the rise of the far-right and long-term demographic decline. According to economists, the demographic decline could threaten the country's prosperity. Germany needs more immigrant workers. The German government recently introduced a law to lower bureaucratic barriers to applying for jobs in Germany, but the political climate is becoming more volatile. The far-right anti-immigration party AfD is now the largest political force in several eastern states, and its populism is reaching new voters. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner summed it up succinctly: "The biggest risk for eastern Germany is the AfD."

Racism is an undeniable problem in Germany. A government-commissioned report in June concluded that anti-Muslim racism is widespread and daily, as evidenced by Shivam Mehrotra, an Indian IT manager who works for a company in Brandenburg (one of the states where the AfD is currently leading in the polls).

Mehrotra, who has worked as an immigration consultant, advises Indians thinking about moving abroad to be aware of the racist climate in Germany. He says it should not be a deciding factor in whether to move to Germany, but rather a consideration.

Mr. Mehrotra said he was fortunate not to encounter much racism during his time in Germany, but the rise of far-right populism worries him. “It affects me,” the 33-year-old said. Still, he believes Germany values equality and diversity.

Think tanks like the Bertelsmann Foundation and international organizations like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regularly conduct research into what makes countries attractive to immigrants. They have found that the most important factors are potential earnings, career prospects and quality of life. Germany ranks pretty well on all of those. But when it comes to competing with other wealthy countries in need of new workers, the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom all have a big advantage because most of them speak English.

According to an OECD survey conducted in 2022 of skilled workers from around the world on the biggest obstacles to coming to Germany, about 38% said they lacked German language skills, while about 18% were concerned about discrimination and racism.

According to OECD experts, other countries have developed a culture of openness that is still lacking in many parts of the population in Germany. And of course, the AfD – or rather the mindset that makes people vote for the AfD – is one of the obstacles to a truly open culture.

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