The shortage of skilled workers in the individual sectors of the economy continues to increase.
A recently published study by the Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers (KOFA) shows that there is a shortage of well-qualified skilled workers even in sectors with production declines and job cuts. This particularly includes the metal industry. The construction industry, retail, the social and health care sector, as well as a large number of craft businesses are particularly affected.
On the other hand, the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) recently published figures showing an increase in work visas issued for foreign skilled workers. This is an increase of around 10% compared to the previous year, which is due in particular to the many innovations in 2023 and 2024 in the Skilled Immigration Act.
Regulations were introduced with a lower minimum salary, simplified conditions for family reunification or opportunities to work in Germany without a university degree recognized in Germany. “Nevertheless, the bureaucratic hurdles remain and make immigration massively more difficult,” says Kai Mütze, Managing Director of IAC Unternehmensberatung GmbH.
“There are multiple authorities involved in the immigration process, a variety of documents are required, with each country and each authority having different document requirements and sometimes using different application forms. In many countries, skilled workers wait for months to even get an appointment to apply for a work visa. This is a situation that urgently needs to be remedied or improved; concentrated digitalization is required in this area. The specialist ministries need to work together and work together much more closely here,” continues Mütze.
Residence law is complex and there are a variety of regulations in different laws and regulations. Many companies are faced with the question of when and under what conditions foreign skilled workers are allowed to take up employment in their company. IAC Unternehmensberatung supports you in these processes, both in terms of legal and administrative implementation. In this way, employment can start as quickly as possible and an important contribution can be made to reducing the shortage of skilled workers.
