Demographic change is currently being obscured by the economic situation and AI transformation. However, ignoring it would be fatal for employers. Various studies show how large the skills gap will be in the coming years. According to the German Economic Institute (IW), there will be a nationwide shortage of 768,000 skilled workers by 2028. In order to meet the demand for skilled workers, Germany needs skilled workers from abroad. Economic experts disagree about how many. The numbers range from around 288,000 annually by 2040 (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2024) to around 400,000 by 2060 (Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, 2021).
In theory, there is a solution to overcome the shortage of skilled workers. But in practice, recruiting skilled workers from abroad is extremely complex. This is despite the fact that the federal government has introduced a number of legal changes in recent years. These include the Skilled Immigration Act, the Job Turbo, the Western Balkan Regulation and the Opportunity Card. All of these regulations are intended to simplify the recruitment of foreign skilled workers. So why is it still so difficult for employers to have skilled workers from abroad working for them? And how can companies best deal with the complex situation?
The status quo: thicket of bureaucracy
Jana Schimke is managing director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association Dehoga. According to the Federal Statistical Office, apart from the cleaning industry, no other industry has as many people from abroad working in it as in the catering industry. Schimke and numerous member companies of the association are dissatisfied with the current framework conditions for recruiting skilled workers. “Too complicated, too bureaucratic, too slow and too restrictive – especially when it comes to proof of qualifications,” criticizes Schimke.
