In Germany, IT specialists are desperately needed. Could experts from Russia willing to emigrate fill the gaps?
The digital industry association Bitkom has spoken out in favor of attracting IT specialists from Russia and Belarus who are willing to emigrate to Germany. This could also alleviate the considerable shortage of skilled workers in the Federal Republic.
“By bringing skilled workers from Russia and Belarus to us, the aggressor is noticeably weakened – and at the same time Germany is strengthened as a location,” said Bitkom President Achim Berg on Monday.
situation will worsen
According to Bitkom, there are currently 96,000 vacancies for IT experts in Germany. Experts believe that the situation on the labor market will continue to worsen in the coming years because specialists from the baby boomer cohorts are retiring and only every second vacancy can be filled again.
At the same time, Russia in particular is experiencing a veritable exodus. Tens of thousands of professionals fled the country after Russia attacked Ukraine. Against the background of the mass emigration, Russia’s Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov put the need for experts at around 170,000 in June.
Bitkom is now asking the federal government to launch an emergency program
With security check
At the same time, Bitkom’s plan provides for measures to rule out possible security risks in the area of secret and sabotage protection. In the current situation, IT specialists who want to immigrate would have to be subjected to an official security check in each individual case.
At the same time, it should be checked that the candidates reject Russia’s war of aggression, which violates international law, and share the most important principles and values of democracy in Germany.
