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International skilled labour
Newcomers – a firm focus on the future

More and more newcomers are staying on in Saxony. Diversity pays off, especially for companies.

That’s really good news, as if we want our state to stay a pleasant place to live in the long term, and our economy to remain dynamic, we need well-trained skilled workers and managers. We offer them a warm welcome!

Seeking and finding greener pastures in Saxony

From Annaberg to Zittau, some 74,000 skilled workers and managers with a foreign passport are currently in work. Most foreign nationals employed here come from Europe (56,031) and Asia (13,196), followed by Africa (2,669). Broken down by country, most of them come from Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, Russia and Vietnam. 

 

The number of employees from these main countries has risen sharply in recent years. In 2014 there were about 18,300, and in 2018 almost 48,900. From 2017 to 2018 alone, there was an increase of over 10,000 people.

 

More than 40 per cent of these workers live in Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. Another 30 per cent work in the rural districts around Dresden, and a good 20 per cent in the Chemnitz region. The number of international workers is particularly high in areas near the border, in the districts of Görlitz, Bautzen and the Ore Mountains. Most are from Poland and the Czech Republic. 

 

Almost half of the skilled workers from these countries work in production, including agriculture and forestry, horticulture and construction / finishing. Roughly one in four works in tourism, hospitality, health and the social services, and around one in five in other service-providing occupations, such as safety, transport, logistics or cleaning. A good 11 per cent are employed to provide business services, for example in commerce or the field of law and administration. 

A win-win situation

It is not only large companies which profit from this open, appreciative corporate culture: a diverse workforce also benefits small and medium-sized companies. Successfully recognising and making use of the different types of talent, skills and experience is beneficial to everyone involved.

 

Support comes, for example, from "Wirtschaft für ein weltoffenes Sachsen" , an association of businesses with a global mindset whose members are publicly committed to Saxony’s international integration.

MOST WORKERS COME FROM:

Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Russian Federation, Hungary
Asia: Syrian Arab Republic, Vietnam, India, Afghanistan, China
Africa: Tunisia, Morocco, Eritrea, Egypt, Algeria
Americas: United States, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico
Australia: Australia

Important contact points

IQ network: the nationwide funding programme “Integration through Qualification (IQ)” is designed to improve the employment opportunities of adult migrants in Germany. The central aim is for them to find employment in line with their vocational qualifications acquired abroad, whatever their residence status.

Make it in Germany: whether you are interested in jobs, education and studying, visas or life in Germany in general, all key information can be found on this portal.

On the Integrationsakteure Sachsen website, you can also gain an overview of what schemes are available in the field of integration, and find the right contact people in Saxony.

Picture credits: istockphoto.com/Aleksandar Georgiev</span>