Germany seeks to attract professionals from Latin America: where are there vacancies and what are the requirements

“If we don't act, we will be short 7 million workers by 2035”.

These are the words of the German Labor Minister, Hubertus Heil, in an interview with the Financial Times at the beginning of May.

A month later, Heil and the Chancellor Germana, Annalena Baerbock, are currently on a tour of Brazil, Colombia and Panama with an eye on, among other things, facilitating the recruitment of qualified professionals to fill vacancies in their country.

“Latin America and Europe are natural partners,” Baerbock said at the start of the trip.

One in six companies in Germany suffer from labor shortages , In addition, 200 of a total of 1,200 professions assessed in the study are understaffed, up from 148 last year.

The problem is not new. The German government approved the Skilled Immigration Law in 2020 to attract professionals in sectors with a lack of personnel.

But it has not been enough and this year the authorities have further eased the requirements to live and work legally in Germany, which needs about 400,000 skilled immigrants every year, according to estimates.

We explain which professions are most in demand and what requirements must be met to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the engine of Europe.

Healthcare personnel

If you are a nurse or doctor, would you consider working in a hospital? , clinic or residence in Germany?

The country has a high life expectancy (83.4 years for women and 78.6 for men) and a markedly aging population.

By 2035, More than 20 million Germans will be over 67 - the official retirement age in Germany - according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The demand for nurses and personnel specialized in caring for the elderly already far exceeds the local supply, and in the coming years all studies indicate that it will continue to grow.

Regarding the requirements, it is essential to certify the title of nursing or care in Germany and, if this does not reach the required level, take an exam or an adaptation course.

In addition, you must have a minimum B1 (intermediate) level of German language, demonstrate that you are physically and mentally healthy, and present a clean certificate of criminal record.

The German health sector also needs doctors, albeit to a lesser extent.

In this case, a state authorization is required to practice the profession and to accept a job. To obtain it, the state where you aspire to work (Germany is made up of 16 federal states) determines if the medical training in the country of origin is equivalent to the German one.

Computer scientists, engineers, and scientists

At the height of the information technology (IT) revolution, Germany ranked 8th out of 132 countries in the 2022 Global Innovation Index, the year in which its IT turnover exceeded 113 billion euros ($120,000 million dollars), according to government data.

If you have training or experience in this sector, you may find opportunities in the European country, especially in small and medium-sized companies.

These need qualified professionals in areas such as software development, software and hardware support, computer security or data science.

Germany is also looking for engineers in various sectors, from construction planning and architecture to artificial intelligence to the automotive industry, which includes promising branches such as electric mobility and autonomous driving.

Plan and control production, do quality testing, and design or Building teams and models are some of the tasks that are most in demand, and there is even the possibility of accessing management positions if you have highly advanced training.

Scientists and mathematicians graduated from Latin American universities also have opportunities in Germany, where they can access jobs in teaching, research, IT, marketing or administration, among other branches.

For doctoral students, It is possible to study research programs in the European country through scholarships and programs.

Drivers, specialists and “green” jobs

As an economic and industrial power, Germany has an extensive and advanced logistics and transportation network that moves millions of products every day.

But it has a problem: there is a lack of professional drivers who want to get behind the wheel of one of the more than 4 million registered trucks in the country, and there is even a shortage of train and ship engineers.

In fact, already more one in four drivers on German roads are foreigners, according to government data.

This job requires a proper driving license (C1 or higher on the EU scale) which can be obtained there through tests or validated from the country of origin if it has an agreement with Germany.

To a lesser extent, the country also look for specialists such as master craftsmen, carpenters, masons and plumbers or heating and air conditioning technicians.

On the other hand, the environmental industry is a growing source of employment in a country committed to achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.

According to a study by KOFA (the center for recruiting skilled labor), Germany faces a shortage of 216,000 workers for the expansion of solar and wind energy.

Visas

If you do not have a European passport, to To get a job in Germany you will need a visa, the obtaining of which includes some requirements.

Among them, it is required to demonstrate knowledge of German at a basic level A2 (although for some positions, such as those in the health sector, it is required one higher),

Once the visa is granted, the government grants a residence permit of up to 18 months in which the applicant can validate their professional qualification or acquire additional training.

Once approved and ready to work, you have a period of one year to find a job in keeping with your profession.

With these initiatives, Germany provides opportunities for learning and development, bringing valuable job and economic opportunities to thousands of people.

However, some experts have pointed out the possible adverse effects that this type of policy causes in migrant-sending countries, specifically the so-called “brain drain“.

The Sociologist Aly Tandian, president of the Senegalese Migration Observatory, recently criticized in The Conversation Africa the relaxation of German laws for attracting talent abroad.

He argued that it can cause not only a reduction in qualified human resources in developing countries, but also significant cuts in investment in education and health, as well as in tax revenue.