Germany tries to attract tech workers

For decades, the U.S. has been a top choice for IT workers from India who want to work abroad, but the recent immigration crackdowns and changes to visa rules are making it a less attractive destination. Germany sees an opening, but its reputation as being anti-immigrant — and competition from other countries — makes it challenging. 

Just days after the U.S. announced new fees for H1-B visa fees, Germany’s ambassador to India posted a video on social media reminding people that his country is a good alternative.

He said Germany’s immigration policy is like its cars: modern, reliable, predictable. “And you don’t have to fear a full brake at a top speed. We do not change our rules fundamentally overnight,” he said in the video.

Germany has been trying to attract skilled workers from abroad for years, because companies there can’t find enough skilled workers. 

“Without immigration, we can’t have economic growth, and then it’s very problematic to finance social security systems when we have more and more elderly people,” said Axel Plünnecke, who follows immigration at the German Economic Institute.

Germany has been slowly raising its retirement age, but almost a quarter of all working people here are within a decade or so of retiring; it’s the highest percentage in the EU. 

So Germany has been trying to make it easier for some immigrants to work here. 

At a coffee shop in Berlin, I chat with Nambirajan Vanamamalai. He and his family moved here from India in 2022.

Germany was not his first choice. “For most people in India,” he said, “the first choice is U.S., because ... it is well-paid [and] there is no language barrier.” 

But he couldn’t find a job in the U.S. or in Canada. And he did find one here, designing digital products for a car company.

The American dream, he said, is about money. But Germany is different: “Here it’s about time. You’ll get time for yourself, you’ll get time for your hobbies, you’ll get time to relax.”

Vanamamalai works in English, and he wonders if not speaking German well is limiting his career opportunities. Many of his Indian friends here worry about there being enough jobs in the future. 

Vanamamalai said he does feel safe here, even as a foreigner. But Germany also hasn’t always been the most welcoming place, and there have been reports of threats against foreigners, even in big cities.

It’s also competing against other countries that need skilled immigrants.

Sareeta Amrute, a professor at The New School who has studied Indian tech workers here, said Germany’s recent charm offensive is like a version of the old guest worker programs that brought thousands of workers here from southern Europe to rebuild after World War II.

“The idea is that these workers will exactly — almost like a puzzle piece — fit the gaps in the German economy,” she said.

The question for people like Vanamamalai is whether Germany fits them. 

He wouldn’t move to the U.S. now, because he said the situation is too unpredictable. Besides, he and his family are finally getting settled here.