More Brain Drain for Ukraine

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Germany looks at easing immigration laws to fill skilled labor gaps

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German cabinet will soon decide on a proposal to make it easier for skilled workers from outside the European Union to move to Germany to take a job, a paper seen by Reuters shows, as Germany seeks to alleviate chronic labor shortages.

Such plans could be sensitive in a country where anti-immigration sentiment has helped drive support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and a row over asylum policy almost toppled Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government in July.

The new proposal mainly addresses relaxing migration policy for professionals outside the EU, since EU citizens enjoy free labor movement in the bloc.

A lack of skilled labor and a shortage of young people willing to commit to on-the-job training for up to 3-1/2 years have become big concerns for managers in Europe’s largest economy.

Germany bet on more than a million refugees who arrived in 2015 to fill workforce gaps, but a lack of German-language skills and the inability of most refugees to prove any qualifications has slowed the process.

More here . . .

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-germany/germany-looks-at-easing-immigration-laws-to-fill-skilled-labor-gaps-idUSKBN1L2178?il=0