Engineering talent from abroad
According to the Federal Ministry of Labour, 17,163 applications for permission to use the professional title "engineer" were submitted between 2016 and 2020. Of these applications, 68% were submitted by men and 32% by women. In 2020, the profession of engineer took fourth place in the nationwide recognition procedures.
These figures alone show that, on the one hand, there is a great deal of interest from skilled workers from Eastern Europe who would like to work as engineers in Germany and, on the other hand, that there is a lively demand in German industry.
The baby boomers in Germany will soon be retiring and there is a shortage of new blood. Immigration has helped to at least slightly alleviate the bottleneck. According to the latest figures from the Engineering Monitor, a joint study by the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and the German Economic Institute (IW), the number of foreign employees in engineering professions rose by 126.5 per cent to around 105,000 between the end of 2012 and September 2022.
The Federal Ministry of Labour has therefore launched the "Integration through Qualification (IQ)" funding programme to make it easier to use the professional title "engineer".
The job title is protected in Germany. Therefore, a person wishing to use this title must have at least a Bachelor's degree in engineering, natural sciences with a technical focus or computer science.
Why it can be interesting for you as a company to hire foreign specialists
In Germany, the exercise of engineering-specific activities is not regulated by law. It is therefore not absolutely necessary for a foreign degree to be recognised for employment. Engineers with a foreign degree can apply for jobs both in the private sector and in the public sector. However, it is regulated by law that the use of the protected professional title "engineer" is only permitted with the appropriate qualification.
Unauthorised use of this title constitutes an administrative offence. This regulation serves to ensure the quality of the occupational profile. Standardised job titles simplify the complexity of job profiles and enable applicants and employers to trust that a specific job title is associated with appropriate behaviour and sound expertise in accordance with applicable curricula, rules and standards.
For you as a company, this means that in the event of a case, you can also benefit from the knowledge of foreign employees who simply did not have the opportunity to provide the relevant evidence to use the professional title, which is merely an administrative hurdle. The employee may not be allowed to use the official title, but has enjoyed the same training.
Another point that should not be forgotten in this context is that, as a company, you do not usually pay the same salary to a foreign skilled worker as to a domestic one.
Another advantage is that engineers from Eastern Europe can benefit from bilateral agreements in many countries. This means that visa and work permit procedures are simplified for applicants from certain countries. This means that you can easily hire experienced employees from abroad.
If you are looking for more information on this topic, take a look at us with pleasure. We help you on the way to new employees and accompany you throughout the entire process.
