GERMANY - 288,000 Foreign Workers Needed
Germany’s workforce could shrink by 10% by 2040 without “substantial” immigration, according to a study commissioned by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
The study found that, without an influx of around 288,000 skilled foreign workers per year, the size of the German workforce could drop from around 46.4 million currently to 41.9 million in 2040. By 2060, it could drop as low as 35.1 million.
A second projection model, based on more pessimistic data, calculated that as many as 368,000 immigrant workers could be required annually until 2040, dropping to 270,000 per year after that until 2060.
Germany’s labor migration laws were reformed in 2023 to make it easier and more attractive for qualified foreign workers to take up positions in Germany, with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser promising “the most modern immigration law in the world.”
How will a shrinking workforce affect Germany’s regions?
According to the analysis, the effect of a shrinking workforce and the need for greater immigration to plug the gaps would be felt differently across Germany.
Even traditionally well-off southern regions like Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg wouldn’t be completely unscathed.
Major cities like Hamburg and Berlin, which already benefit from high levels of immigration, would be less negatively impacted, according to the study.
-www.dw.com, 26 November 2024
Arno's Commentary
The shortage of workers has been a reality in Germany since the end of World War 2. A Google search reveals the five largest manufacturing superpowers are China, 31.2%; USA, 16.3%; Japan, 5.3%; Germany, 4.6%; and India, 2.9%.
Germany is relatively small, about the size of the state of Montana. Its population stands at 84.5 million people (2023).
The birthrate in Germany continues to fall. According to a Google search, the fertility rate is 1.46 live births per woman (the US is 1.66, both below the needed 2.1). While millions have come, there seems to be no end to the shortage of workers.
From 2005 to 2021, it was former German Chancellor Angela Merkel who publicly declared, “Everyone is welcome.” That, however, is no longer politically acceptable, clearly shown by the increasing strength of extreme right-leaning parties, whose slogan is, “Everything for Germany!” Tendencies are evident that foreigners are not welcome.
According to VisualCapitalist.com, the percentage of foreign-born population in Switzerland is 31%, Canada 22%, Israel 19%, Germany 17%, and the USA 14%. From the rich countries, Luxembourg leads with 50% foreign-born residents. Regardless of the temporary outcome, the process of internationalization is unstoppable.
Here again, the Bible confirms the unity of the nations of the world, as evidenced in Revelation 16:14: “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
