Germany—in a series of cautious steps—has introduced immigration policy and legislation that have developed to be some of the most versatile and open toward foreign nationals willing to take up skilled labor over the past 15 years. This background paper provides an overview of recent schemes and projects in Germany to facilitate labor migration and recruitment of skilled foreign workers, including for vocational education and training. It does so against the background of significant sector-specific labor shortages within the German economy, taking into account policy goals of development cooperation with foreign countries and the principles and objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.
Germany has been a highly diversified and experimental playing field in the past few years for pilot projects for transnational skills and mobility partnerships. Following a short introduction, the paper describes the key objectives and rationales for devising new recruitment and mobility schemes).
The third section provides an up-to-date overview of the German legal framework governing migration into skilled labor and training, including an outline of its evolvement over the years.
The fourth section, the core of the paper, seeks to systematize and describe different project-based approaches toward fostering labor-market oriented migration and mobility, focusing on the respective actors and institutional frameworks both in Germany and in partner countries. The focus is on state-led or multistakeholder initiatives and practices that cater to the needs of small and medium enterprises, that support recruitment to develop critical infrastructure, or that address and empower young talent in foreign countries to start their professional or educational careers in Germany.
The final section describes the lessons learned so far and provides an outlook on current and future challenges.
