Officials and industry experts warn against the long-standing problem, with labour shortfalls increasing. The head of German’s national labour agency has stated that the country needs 400,000 immigrants per year to meet workforce demand.
83 million people live in Germany. In 2020, The number of foreign nationals living in the country increased by around 204,000 – that’s 1.8 percent more than the previous year. However, last year’s increase in the number of foreign people was the lowest growth rate in a decade.
Federal Labour Agency Chairman Detlef Scheele has stated that he expects “the number of working-age people in Europe’s biggest economy to decline by nearly 150,000 this year and in the coming years, it will be much more dramatic. This is not about asylum, but about targeted immigration for the gaps in the labour market. We need 400,000 immigrants per year, so significantly more than in recent years,” Scheele said. “From nursing care via climate technicians to logisticians and academics, there will be a shortage of skilled workers everywhere.”
