Our annual Business Day, “Attracting and Retaining Foreign Skilled Workers,” took place this year on November 12, 2025, in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The Business Day is an event of the Welcome Culture and Skilled Worker Recruitment Network and is organized by the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt. Approximately 80 regional companies and network partners gathered at the Piesteritzer Hof to discuss how to attractskilled workers from abroad and integrate them sustainably.
Stefanie Schmidt-Pforte from the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Commerce and Industry moderated the event. Following a welcome address by District Administrator Christian Tylsch, Fabian Semsarha from the Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers (KOFA) presented current data and facts on the skilled worker situation in the Wittenberg district and the region. Among other things, he demonstrated that employment growth in Saxony-Anhalt is already being driven by immigrants: Due to demographic change, the number of employed individuals with German citizenship is declining, whereas people with other nationalities are showing rising employment figures (Semsarha et al., 2024). Furthermore, in the Saxony-Anhalt East Employment Agency district, there are no suitably qualified unemployed individuals available for a good half of the open positions (see KOFA State Profile for Saxony-Anhalt). Therefore, KOFA recommends that employers take an active stance and make their presence known, design recruitment strategies to be as diverse as possible, and—in addition to seeking out trainees and skilled workers—also invest in their long-term retention and continuing education.
This was followed by an interview with Manuel Sandau, Head of the Department of Foreigners’ Affairs in the Wittenberg district. He identified the sectors in which there is particularly high demand for skilled workers in the district: skilled trades, tourism, medicine (especially nursing), and agriculture. Even though some skilled workers recruited from abroad have not received recognition of their foreign qualifications, there are many good opportunities for retraining and other support services in the region for people without recognized qualifications. He also expressed understanding that the expedited skilled worker procedure can seem bureaucratic and thus daunting to companies—but that is precisely why the Foreigners’ Office exists and guides employers through the process. Furthermore, Mr. Sandau praised the success of the right of residence based on opportunity, through which numerous individuals with temporary residence status in the district have been able to obtain regular residence permits and jobs.
The second part of the event was dedicated to an open discussion among participants. In four discussion areas focused on recruitment, language, training, and welcoming culture, interested companies engaged in conversation with experts from advisory centers, educational institutions, government agencies, and other companies.
We have compiled comprehensive information on the accelerated skilled worker procedure, including contact details for the relevant immigration authorities, on the linked page. You can also find further background information on skilled worker immigration in our information center.
