The Skilled Immigration Act – a term that is of growing importance to many companies in Germany. This law, which came into force on March 1, 2020, aims to facilitate access to the German labor market for qualified skilled workers from non-EU countries. The law is therefore a welcome solution to the prevailing shortage of skilled workers, which is one of the biggest challenges facing the German economy.
With this law, you as a company can recruit highly qualified specialists from all over the world and thus open up new perspectives. This is necessary to meet the acute need for skilled labour and to promote innovation. It also increases your competitiveness. Access to a global talent pool enables you to diversify your team and benefit from new ideas and approaches.
In this article, we will show you how you can make the most of the Skilled Immigration Act to open up new prospects and retain talent in the long term. Effective onboarding plays a central role in this. A well-structured onboarding process helps new employees to integrate quickly into your company and increases their satisfaction and loyalty.
Learn about the most important aspects of the Skilled Labour Immigration Act. You will receive strategies for successful talent retention and practical measures for effective onboarding. With this guide, you will realise the full potential of the Skilled Immigration Act and benefit from international skilled workers in the long term.
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act at a glance
Objectives and main points of the law
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act was introduced to counteract the growing shortage of skilled workers in Germany and to facilitate the immigration of qualified skilled workers from non-EU countries. One of the main objectives is to make the German labour market more attractive for international skilled workers and thus strengthen the competitiveness of the German economy. The law comprises several main points: It facilitates access to the German labour market by lowering hurdles in the recognition procedure for foreign qualifications, expanding the list of bottleneck occupations and introducing special regulations such as the opportunity card and the extended Western Balkans regulation. These measures are intended to ensure that both highly qualified skilled workers and skilled workers with vocational training can work more easily in Germany.
Advantages for companies and skilled workers
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act gives you access to a global talent pool, which is particularly beneficial for industries with an acute shortage of skilled workers. The simplified immigration and recognition procedures enable you to hire qualified employees more quickly and efficiently. This increases your innovative capacity and competitiveness. Skilled workers also benefit: they gain a foothold in a stable labour market, enjoy legal clarity and experience a simplified process for taking up employment. The new regulations of the opportunity card allow skilled workers to come to Germany and look for a job locally. Easier conditions for family reunification also promote the professional and social integration of skilled workers and their families.
New perspectives through the Skilled Labour Immigration Act
Access to international talent
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act opens the door to a global talent pool for you as a company. Thanks to the simplified immigration and recognition procedures, you now have targeted access to more highly qualified specialists. This enables you to fill urgently needed positions more quickly and thus ensure the smooth operation and growth of your company.
Promoting diversity and innovation
By hiring international specialists, you increase the cultural diversity in your teams and bring in new perspectives and creative solutions. Diversity is a key driver of innovation. Different backgrounds and experiences lead to a broader range of ideas and strategies. Embracing diversity will make your organisation more successful and adaptable in an ever-changing market environment.
Increase competitiveness
Highly qualified specialists from abroad not only bring with them the necessary expertise, but also valuable international experience and networks. This enables you to increase your innovative strength and assert yourself in an increasingly globalised market. In the long term, this helps to secure the economic stability and growth of your company.
Strategies for successful talent retention
Importance of onboarding
Use the Skilled Labour Immigration Act to attract highly qualified international skilled workers to your company. Effective onboarding is essential in order to retain this talent in the long term. Introduce new employees to your corporate culture, processes and expectations in a targeted manner. A well-structured onboarding programme helps new employees to settle in more quickly and become productive. This increases their satisfaction and loyalty to your company. Studies show that employees who go through a comprehensive onboarding programme are more likely to stay with the company in the long term and are more committed.
Preparing and welcoming new employees
A successful onboarding process begins before the first day of work. Make sure that all administrative and organisational tasks are completed before the new employees arrive. Prepare the workplace, set up the necessary IT equipment and grant access to relevant systems. Give the new employees a warm welcome on their first day at work. A personal welcome from the team and a structured induction plan ensure that new employees feel welcome and supported right from the start. This welcome lays the foundation for a positive working relationship and shows new employees that they are valued.
Mentoring and support in everyday working life
Assign new employees an experienced person as a mentor to help them find their feet in their day-to-day work. The mentor is available to provide advice and support to new employees, answer questions and provide valuable insights into the company culture and processes. Conduct regular feedback sessions and training to monitor progress and ensure that new employees are developing the necessary skills and knowledge. This ongoing support promotes trust and integration of new employees and contributes significantly to their long-term satisfaction and loyalty to your company.
The relevance of an onboarding app
Improve and simplify the entire onboarding process with an onboarding app. This app provides all important information, tasks and resources centrally. New employees have access to relevant documents, training materials and communication channels at any time and from anywhere. The app helps to automate tasks and track progress, making the onboarding process more efficient and consistent. Use interactive features such as chat functions or gamification elements to support the integration of new employees and make the onboarding experience more enjoyable.
Practical measures for effective onboarding
Language courses and cultural introductions
Use the Skilled Labour Immigration Act to integrate international skilled workers into your company. A successful onboarding process plays a central role in this. Use an onboarding app to offer language courses and cultural introductions. This allows your new employees to learn German flexibly and from any location and familiarise themselves with cultural customs. This reduces language barriers and makes it easier for them to familiarise themselves with their new working environment. Cultural introductions also provide valuable insights into German business etiquette and work culture, which promotes understanding and teamwork.
Legal and bureaucratic hurdles
Although the Skilled Labour Immigration Act makes things easier, the process remains complex. An onboarding app can help you here with checklists and reminder functions that ensure that all the necessary documents and steps are completed on time. The app can also contain links to relevant authorities and information pages to make it easier for your new employees to access legal information and support. This reduces the stress and uncertainty associated with bureaucratic processes.
Regular feedback and further training opportunities
Use the possibilities of an onboarding app to set up automated feedback loops in which new employees can regularly share their experiences and progress. This enables you to react quickly to problems and increase the satisfaction of new employees. Integrate training opportunities directly into the app. Offer training materials, e-learning modules and webinars that help your new employees to continuously expand their skills and familiarize themselves better with their role. These measures will help employees feel valued and supported, which will strengthen their long-term loyalty to your company.
Integration into the team and social activities
Use an onboarding app to support the integration of new employees into your team. Organise and announce team events and social activities directly in the app so that your new employees can easily integrate into the team. The app also offers functions such as group chats and forums where new employees can exchange ideas and network. These social interactions create a sense of belonging and promote teamwork.
Use the onboarding app to optimally support the measures of the Skilled Labour Immigration Act and effectively integrate international skilled workers. The app not only makes it easier to learn the language and understand the culture, but also offers continuous support through feedback and training as well as promoting social integration. These holistic measures play a key role in ensuring that your new employees settle in quickly and remain loyal to your company in the long term.
Conclusion and outlook
The Skilled Immigration Act will have a positive impact on the German labour market and economy in the long term. By facilitating the immigration of qualified skilled labour, you can diversify your teams and become more competitive internationally. The introduction of the opportunity card and the extension of the Western Balkans regulation will improve access to a global talent pool so that skilled workers can be integrated into the labour market more quickly and effectively. These measures not only help to combat the acute shortage of skilled labour in the short term, but also secure the innovative strength and competitiveness of the German economy in the long term.
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act offers you and international skilled workers numerous advantages. It facilitates the immigration of qualified skilled workers through simplified recognition procedures and special regulations such as the opportunity card. Effective onboarding is crucial to retaining these skilled workers in the long term. Use an onboarding app to support language courses, cultural introductions, regular feedback and social integration. These measures help new employees to settle in more quickly and become productive, which increases their satisfaction and loyalty.
Actively utilise the opportunities offered by the Skilled Labour Immigration Act. The integration of international skilled workers is an investment in the future and can help to remedy the shortage of skilled labour and increase innovative strength. By implementing a comprehensive onboarding process, supported by an onboarding app, you can ensure that new employees feel welcome and quickly become productive. It’s time to take full advantage of the law and set the course for a successful and competitive future.
The Skilled Immigration Act is a decisive step towards strengthening the German labour market and meeting the challenges of a globalised economy. Utilise this potential to benefit in the long term and take on a pioneering role in the international economy.
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