The older population of workers in Germany has created an economic problem, which is very serious but relatively quiet. Many companies across Germany cannot find enough skilled workers because as older workers retire, there aren’t many young people there to replace them.
To help fill the gap, more businesses are coming to India to recruit workers. Recruitment agencies, industry associations, and local governments have joined forces to facilitate the recruitment of young Indian workers who are looking for work experience in Germany as part of their apprenticeship process or to start with jobs in all types of industries.
Many companies in Germany are hiring Indian workers to work in their companies, as well as other companies all over Germany.
A Shortage That Keeps Growing
The growing demographic imbalance in Germany is a major engine behind the growing number of unfilled job openings. Due to the ageing population, a greater number of retired Germans will retire from the workforce than those entering it through the labour pool. The Bertelsmann Foundation estimates that, to maintain a stable number of employees in Germany, approximately 288,000 foreign workers need to enter the labour force each year.
In the absence of an influx of immigrants, the German workforce is anticipated to decline by 10% by the year 2040.
Many industries have expressed concern about their inability to fill job vacancies. Industries like butchers, builders, and bakers have struggled for years to attract young (<30 years) Germans to work in their respective industries. The ensuing scarcity of talent has led to a decline in the number of small family-owned businesses and an increasing burden on those few businesses (who continue to operate) who now must endure the pressure of additional customers looking for places to shop.
An Email That Started A Partnership
Unexpectedly, the reason for recruiting more people from India started with an unexpected email in 2023.
It was sent by Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg from the Freiburg Chamber of Skilled Crafts after receiving an email from India with information about a pool of young candidates looking for vocational training.
At that time in Germany, many employers were looking for employees.
The proposal was made by Magic Billion, a recruiting company that specialises in helping find employees for jobs globally.
Several members of the Chamber of Crafts and Commerce and von Ungern-Sternberg decided to move forward with this concept on a trial basis.
The first Indian apprentices arrived in Germany in 2002 to work as butchers in small towns close to the Swiss border.
The trial proved successful, and more than 200 young people from India today are working as butchers in Germany.
From Delhi To The Black Forest
Ishu Gariya, a 20-year-old from a suburb of Delhi, is one of the many young people who have chosen to make the move abroad in search of opportunity. Instead of going to college in India, Gariya has travelled to Germany to train as a baker in a small village located in the Black Forest area of Germany.
The work requires very long hours and early starts, with some shifts ending in the early hours of the morning. For Gariya, the benefits of this job have altered his entire life.
He is now able to send money home to help support his family while at the same time enjoying the increased quality of life in Germany’s cleaner air and much less hectic environment than in the larger cities he has left behind.
The stories like Gariya’s are becoming quite common as young people from India seek out opportunities in other countries.
A Formal Pathway For Workers
It has been becoming easier to migrate between countries in recent years.
Germany and India signed a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement to create more legal avenues for migrating to work or study in 2022, and two years later, Germany increased its annual quota for skilled worker visas for Indian citizens from 20,000 to 90,000.
The impact of this growth can be seen in official data.
In 2015, there were approximately 23,000 Indian workers living in Germany; by the end of 2024, this number will exceed 136,000.
Recruitment companies are also projecting that the number of Indian nationals living and working in Germany will continue to increase.
An organisation called ‘India Works’ has been formed by von Ungern-Sternberg and his partner, Magic Billion, who are bringing 775 new young Indian apprentices to work in Germany this year from a variety of industries, including construction, mechanics, logistics and road building.
Why Young Indians Are Taking The Chance
Lack of employment opportunity is one of many factors driving applicants to work abroad. With a population the size of India’s youth demographic having over hundreds of millions of individuals falling under the age of twenty-five, and millions of new entrants into the workforce every year, which creates heightened competition among potential employees.
Europe is very attractive because of higher salaries than what they are receiving in their own home, superior social safety nets, and the opportunity to experience different cultures while working abroad.
One youth who has travelled from India to Germany to pursue employment is Ajay Kumar Chandapaka, who graduated from a mechanical engineering programme in Hyderabad, India.
Ajay struggled for several months trying to find a job in India, ultimately applying for and winning an apprenticeship with a German logistics company.
He now drives an 18-wheeler truck in the area around Freiburg, Germany.
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