The German Chancellor said that this cooperation can help alleviate the labor shortage, which is already being felt in the German economy.
Germany and Kenya signed a migration agreement on Friday with the aim of encouraging skilled workforce influx from the East African country to the significant labor shortage German market. Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, stated during a joint press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto in Berlin that thanks to the agreement, skilled workers will be able to come to Germany or young people can come to study.
The Chancellor emphasized that this cooperation can help alleviate the labor shortage, which is already being felt in the German economy.
“Our prosperity is based on being open to the world, and we must preserve this,” said Scholz, adding that alongside openness, it is very important to clearly limit illegal immigration. The German Chancellor stated that the agreement also ensures that they can more effectively send back those who stay illegally in Germany to Kenya. He praised the huge human capital, innovation power, and creativity of Ruto’s country.
He highlighted that in Kenya, the average age of the population is twenty years.
The Kenyan President stated that the agreement has mutual benefits as it brings together the potential of skilled young Kenyans with German technology and resources. The German government has previously signed similar migration agreements with India, Morocco, and Georgia, and will sign a contract with Uzbekistan next week. Similar cooperation with Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, and the Philippines is also in preparation. Experts say that due to the aging of the domestic labor market, Germany would need approximately 400,000 skilled immigrant workers annually.
