Germany seeks foreign skilled labour

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, JULY 5. A commission appointed by the German Government has said the country needs to take in at least 50,000 immigrants to maintain the current level of economic prosperity.

The all-party commission said Germany had to make a break with the past and implement radical reforms to change the country's long-troubled, controversial and often xenophobic approach to immigration and the hugh population of immigrants. The commission said the lower birth rate meant that Germany's population may fall by 25 per cent within 50 years. The country's population now stands at 82 million. Hence, the country needs to attract 50,000 skilled foreign workers annually to keep its current population rate and its economic growth.

There are nearly 73-lakh non-nationals now living in Germany with some 25 lakhs employed in local industry. Germany is desperately short of skilled workers in the fields of information technology, engineering and scientific research which are responsible for the country's economic clout. The commission has proposed that 20,000 skilled workers should be given permanent residency every year, another 20,000 should receive five-year work permits and 10,000 foreign trainees should get temporary residence permits. The question is where will these immigrants come from. Obviously, a majority will come from developing economies such as India, China and the Eastern European countries.

Right-wing groups argue that instead of bringing in foreign workers, Germany should provide more training for the native skilled workers. Developed countries compete to attract foreign skilled workers. The U.S. is a favourite destination because of the language and the financial rewards for those who make the ``American dream''. In Germany there is the language barrier. Also, most foreigners are put off by the stereotype of xenophobia among average Germans. Similar is the story in some other European economies. Hence, the average Asian skilled worker prefers to migrate to the U.S. For example, German authorities recently invited applications for I.T. skilled workers from India but the response was poor.

The more prosperous European countries are realising that foreign workers make a significant contribution to the economies of the host countries. Apart from being affluent consumers they are also regular tax payers and savers. But their skills are used to ``complement rather than substitute'' those of the natives. This was the conclusion in the survey of employment outlook by O.E.C.D. (Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development) whose members are among world's richest industrialised countries.

The German Chancellor, Mr. Gerhard Schroeder has welcomed the proposals of the independent commission. The Interior Minister, Mr. Otto Schily, said the commission's work was a ``historic contribution'' to the process of defining a ``more modern'' immigration policy. Ms. Rita Sussmuth, commission chairperson, said, ``We must acknowledge that in reality, Germany has for years been a country of immigration.'' Trade unions, churches, migrants groups have welcomed the report.

The Nineties saw the German authorities taking special initiatives to contain the wave of xenophobia unleashed by right- wing extremists. It was a battle of nerves between the authorities and neo-Nazi gangs who attacked Turkish homes and businesses. The attacks were co-ordinated by extreme right-wing groups and Ministers had then claimed that they were isolated incidents triggered by neo-Nazis to attract media attention.

The country's laws link naturalisation to German blood ancestry. Many liberal Germans feel that naturalisation based on ancestry is again a form of racist thinking. There is resistance to changes in the nationality laws from factions within the establishment.

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Section  : International
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