Could international talent help solve Germany’s skilled labor shortage? The online job board Workeer is convinced it could. Simon from Nigeria and Liza from Ukraine have already found a job through the platform.
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00:00 [music]
00:12 At this fashion label in southern Germany, it's all hands on deck.
00:16 Yeah, yeah, just try to move a bit.
00:18 So like, two different stuff, make a short break.
00:22 Here in a town near Stuttgart, Die Rote Zora recently hired five people,
00:26 all of them internationals.
00:27 Simon is from Nigeria. Today he's modeling,
00:30 but he's actually the company's e-commerce manager.
00:33 The jobs for the workers are not 100% specialized
00:38 the way you see it in bigger companies.
00:41 So because of that, it's diversified,
00:43 but at the same time you can crisscross, you know,
00:46 like, and help each other out.
00:48 At the photo shoot, Silke, the owner of the fashion label,
00:51 gets help from her husband who's taking the pictures,
00:54 and Lisa, who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
00:57 Working with Silke is really good, and sometimes it's fun,
01:03 because she's also like a very understanding person and supportive.
01:07 The fashion label uses eco-friendly fabrics made ethically and sustainably.
01:12 Silke launched the company 15 years ago and now has a staff of eight.
01:16 She wants to expand, but she's facing the same skilled labor shortage
01:19 that's plaguing many companies here.
01:24 We really need seamstresses,
01:27 but there are hardly any still being trained in Germany.
01:30 That's a real problem. Or take the IT and marketing sectors.
01:34 There's a shortage of skilled workers there, too.
01:38 One solution could be drawing on the many highly qualified
01:41 international workers who are already here.
01:44 The OECD estimates that more than half a million people
01:47 with a degree from abroad live in Germany,
01:49 but either work at a job that's below their skill level
01:52 or struggle to find work at all.
01:54 That's where Victoria Baumann and Werkir come in.
01:57 It's a job platform for newcomers and refugees looking for work in Germany.
02:04 We see great potential when it comes to international refugee talents in Germany.
02:08 Many of them bring in great qualifications,
02:11 and we also see people who are learning German very quickly.
02:15 They're highly motivated.
02:16 It's also part of the work to make companies show more flexibility.
02:22 And it's also one of the tasks is empowering them.
02:25 Werkir acts as a bridge between job seekers and employers.
02:29 At its office in Berlin, Werkir continues to refine its website.
02:33 Recently, they brought in some of Germany's biggest companies
02:36 to advertise on their platform.
02:39 Companies that post job opportunities pay for the services
02:42 that help them connect with people who are looking for work.
02:44 We are, for instance, optimizing the job postings
02:48 to make sure that we are actually also managing to target the international talents.
02:56 And that comes also with quite some educational work.
03:00 That can include advising businesses on ways to support their international employees.
03:05 Right now, they're talking to Silke from Rote Zora about educational opportunities.
03:11 And are you still interested in looking around for language courses?
03:14 I think we sent you some more information about that,
03:17 but I don't know if there was anything that was quite the right fit.
03:24 But language isn't the only thing that's holding back the labor market in Germany.
03:28 Bigger cities tend to have an edge over smaller towns like Esslingen
03:32 when it comes to hiring international talent.
03:35 At the Rote Zora, the owner Silke knows that creativity and openness
03:40 can make all the difference.
03:43 I would probably find someone more quickly in Berlin than in Esslingen.
03:50 Of course, you have to be creative.
03:52 For one thing, you can also work remotely for certain jobs,
03:56 which we are happy to do, of course.
03:59 And that can work really well, but not so much for sewing.
04:05 Lisa studied design in Kharkiv, Ukraine, before fleeing to Germany.
04:11 To hire her, Silke got creative.
04:13 She found an apartment for Lisa to live in,
04:15 so she was able to move to where her work is.
04:19 Not long ago, Lisa updated the company's packaging
04:22 and learned more about cultural differences along the way.
04:27 I think that I'm working really fast for Germany
04:34 because Silke told me all the time, like, "You're working too quick."
04:38 Because sometimes when you're doing something really quick,
04:42 it can make bad results.
04:47 But when you take your time, you can make a better product.
04:52 These days, the team collaborates mostly in English,
04:56 because growing a team means that everyone counts.
05:00 (Music)
05:03 (upbeat music)