Immigration: Employment agency warns against cutting migration from the Western Balkans

The federal government plans to restrict the immigration of workers from the Western Balkan states. Instead of giving 50,000 people a year access to the German labor market, as is currently the case, the quota is to be halved to 25,000 immigrants. This means that the coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD is met with widespread criticism.

After the economists and the Federal Association of Employers (BDA), the Federal Employment Agency is now also opposing the project. "A halved quota weakens a successful immigration model, exacerbates the shortage of skilled workers and makes it more difficult for companies to find workers," explained board member Vanessa Ahuja. If the special investments in infrastructure and the so-called construction turbo were to succeed, companies would have to find sufficient workers.

The authority recommends that the annual quota should be maintained. Already in 2025 there was not enough for all applications and this year too it will be exhausted early.

The Western Balkans regulation has made it easier for people from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to access the German labor market since 2016. The Union and SPD decided in the coalition agreement to reverse the expansion. According to the draft regulation, employment migration should be reduced from January 1, 2027, regardless of qualifications. At the same time, companies should make greater use of workers already available in Germany.

The plans cause a lack of understanding for BDA general manager Steffen Kampeter: Germany needs more workers instead of new hurdles. The Advisory Council for the Assessment of Overall Economic Development also criticized the decision. A limit “does not make sense given the labor shortage,” the economists wrote in their statement. They pointed to the declining workforce potential due to demographics and criticized the draft as containing “no convincing substantive justification” for the cuts. It is not explained why the previous positive experiences with the regulation should now be assessed differently, nor is the planned upper limit based on an evaluation.

It was only in mid-2024 that the traffic light coalition at the time increased the annual quota from 25,000 to 50,000. Of the approximately 546,000 employees from these countries who are subject to social insurance contributions, 53 percent work at least at the skilled level. Around 45 percent of these skilled workers work in shortage occupations.