Labor alarm bells ringing in Germany: As the far-right rises, foreign workers are nowhere to be found

In Germany, the anti-foreigner stance of the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), known as a far-right and anti-immigrant party, could bring about a labor shortage.

Germany is currently facing a major shortage of skilled labor, and experts estimate that the country needs approximately 400,000 skilled immigrants each year as the workforce ages and shrinks. Long seen as Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany was recently assessed by the International Monetary Fund as the world's worst-performing major advanced economy.

BRAIN DRAIN IS OCCURRING

Thuringia is one of Germany's poorest states, a legacy of the communist rule in East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Wages are below average, and there are very few large employers outside of the public sector. Most young people, especially women, are leaving the region for opportunities elsewhere. A brain drain toward the more affluent west has been ongoing since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and has not stopped since.

High inflation and migration have been influential in the rise of the AfD. While Germany accepted 1.9 million new residents in 2023, 1.2 million people left the country permanently, resulting in a net migration of 663,000. While only a minority settle in Germany's poorer eastern states, anti-immigration sentiment remains high.

News Source: 12punto