How can local small and medium-sized enterprises attract skilled workers from abroad? How can they be retained and further supported? What support services are available in Dessau-Roßlau and the surrounding region?
To discuss and answer these questions, the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt, the Welcome Culture and Skilled Worker Recruitment Network, and the city of Dessau-Roßlau hosted a business day entitled "Finding and Retaining Foreign Skilled Workers" on September 12, 2024. Interested companies and regional experts gathered in the morning at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau to listen to expert input and exchange experiences and concrete implementation steps.
After a welcome by the city of Dessau-Roßlau and the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Sarah Pierenkemper from the Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers (KOFA) gave a short presentation on the skilled worker situation in Dessau-Roßlau and the region. She identified the increasing shortage of skilled workers, particularly in the north and east of Saxony-Anhalt and in the skilled trades, construction, and social professions, as a key challenge. She sees potential for securing skilled workers in, among other things, increasingly targeting women, older people, unskilled and semi-skilled workers, and international skilled workers. Talent could be attracted and retained in the region, for example, by companies establishing diversity management and a welcoming culture and investing in the training and further education of their employees. It is also important to ensure that the region remains attractive beyond working conditions.
Following this presentation, participants were able to visit various themed stands where regional initiatives, educational institutions, and authorities presented their support services for companies and skilled workers. There were lively discussions about recruitment programs, language courses, welcoming cultures, and professional training opportunities. Finally, a local company, the Dießner nursing service, reported on its experiences with recruiting and integrating trainees from abroad. Of central importance – and at the same time not so easy to find – is a reliable and not too expensive placement agency in the target countries. Another success factor is the passion that the company puts into its welcome offers and long-term support for trainees. It is very helpful to have a person available full-time to look after the 20 or so trainees and, in addition to organizational tasks, to organize the occasional afternoon outing to help the newcomers settle in. Learning German and personal interaction with like-minded people are also very important for immigrant trainees, reported one of the company's trainees.
Moderator Stefanie Schmidt-Pforte from the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Industry and Commerce draws a similar conclusion from the company day: When it comes to employing skilled workers or trainees from abroad, it is not just a matter of finding them, but also of the retention and qualification process, which never really ends. Companies and local authorities can best master this process by working together to raise awareness of existing opportunities and sharing their valuable experiences with each other.
"Finding and Retaining Foreign Skilled Workers" is an annual event organized by the Welcome Culture and Skilled Worker Recruitment Network and is organized by the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt. You can find more information about the network on this page. Information on the legal framework and regional support services relating to skilled worker immigration and labor market integration can be found in our information center.
