Supporting the private sector in the search for skilled workers

There is currently a lively debate taking place about the purpose of development cooperation and how it is implemented. The series GIZworks! showcases how GIZ achieves results – in partner countries and in Germany’s interests. 

Tradespeople, nursing staff, IT specialists: According to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), there are currently around 1.8 million vacancies in Germany. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been supporting companies in their search for suitable skilled workers abroad for many years. Everyone benefits in this process: companies, skilled workers and countries of origin. Chair of the Management Board Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel emphasised this once again at the IHK Day in his speech to representatives from the worlds of politics and business in Berlin.  

‘Germany is a country of immigration,’ said Schäfer-Gümbel. ‘GIZ can and aims to support the German private sector in attracting skilled workers from abroad.’  

Threefold benefits with ‘Triple Win’ 

Since 2013, GIZ, in cooperation with the International Placement Services (ZAV) of the German Federal Employment Agency (BA), has placed around 6,500 skilled workers and trainees from abroad with more than 300 employers in Germany. In the process, GIZ builds on relationships with local administrations, companies and educational institutions. It prepares the skilled workers and trainees for their new life and supports them as they take their first steps in Germany.  

One example is the ‘Triple Win’ programme: on behalf of German health care facilities, GIZ works with the BA and the labour authorities of the partner countries to recruit nursing staff from countries with a surplus – such as Indonesia and the Philippines. ‘Triple Win’ brings with it threefold benefits: unemployment in the countries of origin falls and in turn, the countries benefit from remittances from migrant workers. Nursing staff without jobs find positions with fair conditions and as a result, urgently needed staff make their way to Germany.  

Promoting local development  

The concerns and interests of the seconding countries are important for GIZ throughout the entire process. Skilled workers are recruited only where migration does not create bottlenecks on local labour markets. At the same time, GIZ works locally to ensure that people have better job opportunities on the labour market, for example through further training or specialist qualifications that are in demand locally.