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Experts have forecast that, in the near future, the EU will inevitably see “mass immigration”, not least because of Germany and its shortage of skilled workers in critical occupations such as care and education.

In order to supply the relevant sectors with skilled labour, in 2023, the German government reformed the Skilled Workers Immigration Act (FEG) with a view to making it easier for foreign skilled workers to migrate to and work in Germany. The main focus of the discussion surrounding skilled labour is those who migrate to Germany via the FEG, as they receive their work permits relatively quickly and can generally provide evidence of an academic qualification that can facilitate their integration into the relevant sector. At least this is the theory.

The forgotten professionals

Who the debate tends to forget, however, are those who go through the legal asylum process to come to Germany. There seems to be a consensus in European society that people who are forced to flee their countries and begin a new life in Germany, or some other European country, are in no way connected to those coming to Germany on a work visa. The discourse seems to see refugees and skilled workers as mutually exclusive concepts.

Yet, it goes without saying that some of the asylum seekers in Germany are indeed skilled professionals. So why are we not seizing the opportunity this presents? The answer to this question is bureaucracy: asylum applications have to be processed, work permits have to be issued, something that can take years. Even those who are granted a work permit and have verifiable professional qualifications that are recognised in Germany often end up in jobs they are over-qualified for. And while this may be something they are willing to accept at the start, it will soon leave them feeling frustrated. The lack of advancement will lead these professionals – provided they can – to leave Germany for other EU countries in search of better opportunities.

As to those who have not yet been granted a work permit or are even still waiting for their residency permit, they have no choice but to succumb to German bureaucracy because of their limited financial resources.

No data, no clue

The absurd thing about the situation is that, at the moment, no one knows what qualifications and potential those who are waiting for their asylum applications to be approved actually possess, explained Dr Gunilla Fincke, Director-General at the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs responsible for “Skills, Vocational Training and Securing a Skilled Labour Force”, at an international conference organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung on “Migration – a progressive formula”. When people arrive and submit their applications for asylum, no information on qualifications, academic or otherwise, is requested. This only happens once their application has been approved.

When Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine forced millions of people to flee the country, Germany attempted, based on the special status granted to the Ukrainian refugees which allows them to work as soon as they arrive, to obtain information on professional qualifications at the initial registration. However, as Dr Fincke reported, this was a major challenge in itself.

One of the most problematic things is that, according to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, only around 25 percent of refugees in Germany had already started a degree or job training prior to arrival and as few as 18 percent had completed it. That said, among the remaining 75 percent, there are countless people with an academic qualification which is not recognised in Germany or who have learned a profession informally and could therefore be an equally important part of the employment market. But this narrative is lost in the imposing figures provided by the “training statistics” and the fact that the term “skilled worker” is only associated with certain types of training. And the consequence of this is that no one really knows how many and what type of skilled workers can be found in refugee accommodations, meaning the extent of the potential there remains entirely unknown.

A solution with reservations

We urgently need a system. A data base, a tool for capturing information that shows what qualifications asylum seekers in Germany actually have. This is the only way to be able to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the situation. This is not only important for assessing domestic potential but would also serve as a quantitative basis in policy decisions. A potential role model here could be the Swiss system of assessing potential which involves a survey of factors that can be beneficial for labour market integration. Lastly, we must not overlook the effect on the overall climate in society. Showing society that refugees are not only responsible for “additional costs” but are in fact a resource, as demonstrated by the 2021 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's study "Ohne sie geht nichts mehr", for instance, could raise the discourse to a new, less emotional level.

However, we must proceed with caution here. For what is quickly lost in this discourse is the human perspective. In fact, whether refugees are perceived as a burden or reduced solely to their value as part of the labour force – in both cases their human dignity is threatened. We are talking about individuals here – people with their own stories, dreams and talents. Both the basis and the starting point for any debate about skilled workers must be the human perspective.