District of Munich – Workers from abroad welcome – District of Munich

No matter where you look: there is a lack of staff. If you still need an appointment to put on your winter tires, you have to be patient for weeks. If you want to go out to eat in the evening, it is best to ask beforehand whether the restaurant of your choice is open at all. And if you have to go to the hospital because of a medical emergency, you’ll be lucky if you can find a bed somewhere nearby. The federal government’s plans for a new immigration law could help here. At least that’s what companies, professional associations and the DGB in the Munich district are hoping for. If skilled workers from abroad could come to Germany more easily in the future, then that would be a blessing, everyone agrees – although hardly anyone assumes that the consequences will soon be noticeable

Anyone who already speaks German or works in sectors where there is a significant shortage should, according to the Federal Government, be allowed to enter the country without proof of employment such as an employment contract or training certificate, as stated in the key issues paper for the new Skilled Workers Immigration Act, which the cabinet has agreed on – and that has met with great approval in the district. Here, too, there are vacancies in almost every area. And it is by no means just the well-trained specialists that are missing. Even for simple jobs or auxiliary services in the catering trade or in the trades, there is hardly anyone who wants to tackle – or is allowed to, because the bureaucratic hurdles are much too high, as in the case of refugees: residence status, asylum procedures, recognition of qualifications in the home country and language barriers make it difficult for those affected to get a job and for companies to close the gap in the workforce.

Years ago, Christoph freely wished for easier access to the job market.

(Photo: Claus Schunk)

Christoph Höhler, spokesman for the regional committee of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in the district of Munich, is relieved: “Something is finally happening,” he says on the phone, but at the same time complains that such a relief for the immigration of workers was already needed in 2015 would have when the numerous refugees came to Germany and thus also to the district. “Since then, everyone has been whining about the lack of young people,” says Höhler, and criticizes the fact that the opportunity was not taken to bring the people wages and bread. The entrepreneur from Kirchheim considers it positive that the tide is turning with the new government in Berlin and not least with the arrival of many people who have fled Ukraine because of the Russian war of aggression. “But it wouldn’t have needed a war for that,” said Höhler regretfully.

“Let the entrepreneurs decide who to hire”

However, the new law alone is not enough: “We need a different culture of welcome,” says Höhler. “Regional wellcome centers” are needed, i.e. contact points that are open to companies and workers and bring them together. In his own words, he appealed to District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) to put himself at the top to help companies and businesses find workers. The town halls in the municipalities are also in demand. The less bureaucratic, the better. And: “Let the entrepreneurs decide who to hire,” said Höhler, without the hassle of lengthy administrative procedures.

According to Stefan Kastner, the innkeeper at the Waldgasthof Buchenhain, the Ukrainians who fled the war in their country saved the day. They work at the reception, in the kitchen, in service and in the hotel. For the people from Ukraine, Kastner hopes, like Leicher, “that the war will soon be over.” Nevertheless, he is worried about who will then do the work. It is necessary to facilitate access to the labor market as a whole. “Without workers from Eastern Europe, it looks meager.” In some countries, such as Serbia, there are unnecessary hurdles. Kastner is fundamentally in favor of higher wages in the hospitality industry, but that would also drive up prices. At the same time, he is critical of citizen income because the incentive to take up work could diminish. Should everything become even more difficult, he predicts more days off or reduced opening times. There are still many ideas out there.

It is precisely the catering trade that is particularly personnel-intensive – and because of the “person-to-person area” it suffers particularly from the lack of employees, as Thomas Geppert, state manager of the hotel and restaurant association Dehoga, says. They support the goal of facilitating “immigration into the labor market”. However, it is not just about skilled workers, but about workers in general. “Practices are wanted, not just the famous engineer,” says Geppert, pleading for “clever, unbureaucratic and pragmatic immigration.”

Meanwhile, the craft businesses rely on those who, with their specialist knowledge, are an asset for companies and businesses because they have already worked in these professions in their home country. According to the Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria, the focus of the new immigration concept must in any case be “oriented to medium-sized companies and low in bureaucracy”. Because it is mainly small and medium-sized companies that need help to be able to hire foreign specialists. “Experience has shown that they find it difficult to deal with the complexity of immigration. The new regulations must not make this even worse.” Therefore, the entire procedure must be accelerated in a debureaucratized manner, for example by allowing visas to be issued more quickly.

Economy: For Simone Burger, naturalization is easier "positive signal to millions of people".

For Simone Burger, easier naturalization is a “positive signal to millions of people”.

(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)

According to district spokeswoman Simone Burger, the DGB supports the plans of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. “Easier naturalization is a positive signal to millions of people with a migration background in Germany, but also to skilled workers from abroad. The message is: We don’t just need your workforce, we also want your political participation.” However, many other measures are necessary, according to trade unionist Burger: good working conditions that make it possible to combine family and career, women’s jobs that are better paid, the chance of an apprenticeship for every young person – and real prospects for employees and their families to stay. That’s the only way everyone can benefit.

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