Solving Germany’s labor shortage

DW (English)

Could international talent help solve Germany’s skilled labor shortage? The online job board Workeer is convinced it could. Simon from Nigeria and Liza from Ukraine have already found a job through the platform.

Transcript

00:00 [music]

00:12 At this fashion label in southern Germany, it's all hands on deck.

00:16 Yeah, yeah, just try to move a bit.

00:18 So like, two different stuff, make a short break.

00:22 Here in a town near Stuttgart, Die Rote Zora recently hired five people,

00:26 all of them internationals.

00:27 Simon is from Nigeria. Today he's modeling,

00:30 but he's actually the company's e-commerce manager.

00:33 The jobs for the workers are not 100% specialized

00:38 the way you see it in bigger companies.

00:41 So because of that, it's diversified,

00:43 but at the same time you can crisscross, you know,

00:46 like, and help each other out.

00:48 At the photo shoot, Silke, the owner of the fashion label,

00:51 gets help from her husband who's taking the pictures,

00:54 and Lisa, who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

00:57 Working with Silke is really good, and sometimes it's fun,

01:03 because she's also like a very understanding person and supportive.

01:07 The fashion label uses eco-friendly fabrics made ethically and sustainably.

01:12 Silke launched the company 15 years ago and now has a staff of eight.

01:16 She wants to expand, but she's facing the same skilled labor shortage

01:19 that's plaguing many companies here.

01:24 We really need seamstresses,

01:27 but there are hardly any still being trained in Germany.

01:30 That's a real problem. Or take the IT and marketing sectors.

01:34 There's a shortage of skilled workers there, too.

01:38 One solution could be drawing on the many highly qualified

01:41 international workers who are already here.

01:44 The OECD estimates that more than half a million people

01:47 with a degree from abroad live in Germany,

01:49 but either work at a job that's below their skill level

01:52 or struggle to find work at all.

01:54 That's where Victoria Baumann and Werkir come in.

01:57 It's a job platform for newcomers and refugees looking for work in Germany.

02:04 We see great potential when it comes to international refugee talents in Germany.

02:08 Many of them bring in great qualifications,

02:11 and we also see people who are learning German very quickly.

02:15 They're highly motivated.

02:16 It's also part of the work to make companies show more flexibility.

02:22 And it's also one of the tasks is empowering them.

02:25 Werkir acts as a bridge between job seekers and employers.

02:29 At its office in Berlin, Werkir continues to refine its website.

02:33 Recently, they brought in some of Germany's biggest companies

02:36 to advertise on their platform.

02:39 Companies that post job opportunities pay for the services

02:42 that help them connect with people who are looking for work.

02:44 We are, for instance, optimizing the job postings

02:48 to make sure that we are actually also managing to target the international talents.

02:56 And that comes also with quite some educational work.

03:00 That can include advising businesses on ways to support their international employees.

03:05 Right now, they're talking to Silke from Rote Zora about educational opportunities.

03:11 And are you still interested in looking around for language courses?

03:14 I think we sent you some more information about that,

03:17 but I don't know if there was anything that was quite the right fit.

03:24 But language isn't the only thing that's holding back the labor market in Germany.

03:28 Bigger cities tend to have an edge over smaller towns like Esslingen

03:32 when it comes to hiring international talent.

03:35 At the Rote Zora, the owner Silke knows that creativity and openness

03:40 can make all the difference.

03:43 I would probably find someone more quickly in Berlin than in Esslingen.

03:50 Of course, you have to be creative.

03:52 For one thing, you can also work remotely for certain jobs,

03:56 which we are happy to do, of course.

03:59 And that can work really well, but not so much for sewing.

04:05 Lisa studied design in Kharkiv, Ukraine, before fleeing to Germany.

04:11 To hire her, Silke got creative.

04:13 She found an apartment for Lisa to live in,

04:15 so she was able to move to where her work is.

04:19 Not long ago, Lisa updated the company's packaging

04:22 and learned more about cultural differences along the way.

04:27 I think that I'm working really fast for Germany

04:34 because Silke told me all the time, like, "You're working too quick."

04:38 Because sometimes when you're doing something really quick,

04:42 it can make bad results.

04:47 But when you take your time, you can make a better product.

04:52 These days, the team collaborates mostly in English,

04:56 because growing a team means that everyone counts.

05:00 (Music)

05:03 (upbeat music)

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