Germany’s need for immigrants

Germany has a very low birth rate. 1.4. By comparison the U.S. has a 2.3 rate. A rate of 1.8 is necessary to maintain existing population levels. The decline in german birth rates can be attributed to two major factors: an aging population and social norms that led to many women postponing or chosing not to have children. Germans value education and traditionally mothers played a primary role in the education of children. Teachers expected mothers to engage in as much teaching as the teachers themselves. Adding to the presure, the German school system divides children into three educational tracks at the age of ten. Kids that are deemed “smart” are placed on a track that will lead to college. Kids who are average are placed in a track that will lead them to vocational training, kids on the lowest track face a lifetime of low skilled jobs. Because so much of a child’s future is determined so early in life, mothers feel a huge pressure not to split their time between helping their children with school and pursuing a career. This social structure led to a drop in births. Apparently things have improved with the implementation of parental leave and more childcare centers but there has not been any changes in the educational structure nor social subconciousness so the problem has not been completely eradicated.
This reality has led Germany to conclude that preserving economic vitality will require an influx of additional workers. Germany has three sources for that additional population: other members of the EU, taping the productivity of immigrants already in the country, and importing additional immigrants.
Germany is the only european country with a growing economy. EU citizens from other member nations can move to Germany legally and obtain employment. However there are shortcomings to this solution. German is a difficult language and many EU residents don’t speak it. Many potential workers do not want to leave their homelands. Someone who teaches in Italy where the economy has tanked explained that Italian men for instance live with their parents until they get married and want to settle near family. EU residents who do opt to move to Germany may not have the skills Germany wants or not in sufficient numbers.
Germany could also tap into turkish and arab immigrants residing in Germany. I will get back to this option on another day–for now let’s just say its not the perfect solution. The last option is immigration.
Germany created an immigration statute in 2005. It was its first immigration law ever. This doesn’t mean that there wasn’t immigration to Germany. It just wasn’t handled as such–long story my prior suggeted readings discuss and their officials confirmed. According to the immigration officials we met, the ministry drafts proposed statutes, the parliment enacts the law, and the states and consulates interpret and carryout the intent of the immigration statute. (very different from the U.S.) The immigration law allows for asylum, family reunification and skilled workers. The last category has been the focus of their presentations. The program has produced an additional 90K immigrants to Germany. Unfortunately, Germany needs 400-800K skilled workers. As a result they are engaging in recruitment campaigns and have modified the statute to make Germany more competitive with other countries trying to attract skilled workers. “skilled” workers seem to be defined broadly. Often if the salary is over 44, 000 EU the person has a shot at a visa to Germany. An associate degree in the right field, childcare or elder care for instance, may be enough to get your foot on the door. But of course, the question of German fluency kept coming back.
Naturally, we could not learn business immigration in one short meeting and we walked out with more questions than answers, but it was quite the appetizer.EQ