An IMGW News Report
Germany and Kenya has just signed a landmark migration and skilled labour agreement aimed at addressing Germany’s labour shortages while providing opportunities for Kenyan workers.
The deal allows more skilled Kenyan workers to move to Germany, which requires around 400,000 immigrants annually to sustain its ageing workforce. Both Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenyan President William Ruto praised the agreement as a “win-win,” benefiting Germany’s economic needs and Kenya’s youthful, skilled labour force. Additionally, the deal includes provisions to streamline the repatriation of Kenyans without legal status in Germany, addressing concerns over unauthorised migration.
In contrast, the UK faces similar labour shortages but struggles to attract high-skilled foreign workers despite significant overall migration. In 2023, approximately 1.22 million people migrated to the UK, with 532,000 departures, resulting in a net migration of about 688,000. While these figures are slightly lower than the 1.26 million arrivals in 2022, they still represent a high volume of movement. The main driver of UK migration in 2023 was work, yet there remains a significant mismatch: most foreign interest in UK jobs is focused on lower-wage positions, despite the government’s efforts to attract high-skilled migrants.
According to data from the 2023 Migration and Asylum in Europe report, Germany attracted 439,000 immigrants from non-EU countries in 2021—nearly 19% of all non-EU immigrants to the EU. Germany’s proactive immigration policies, including this new Kenyan deal, reflect its openness to skilled migration as a solution to labour shortages. The UK, on the other hand, struggles post-Brexit to remain attractive to high-skilled foreign workers, with fewer applicants for higher-wage jobs compared to European counterparts such as France and the Netherlands.
While the UK experienced a substantial number of arrivals in 2023, the majority of foreign workers sought lower-wage roles, raising questions about the effectiveness of its immigration policies aimed at boosting high-skill sectors. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government now faces the challenge of reducing the need for foreign labour by improving domestic skills, while also ensuring that key industries such as IT and engineering are not deprived of much-needed talent.
Germany’s agreement with Kenya demonstrates a clear strategy to attract skilled labour from non-EU countries, in stark contrast to the UK’s ongoing struggles to align its immigration policies with its economic needs, particularly in attracting high-skilled migrants.
If you are interested in articles on the theme of migration involving the UK and Germany, we invite you to visit the following IMGW News reports:
- Under Siege: The New Reality for UK Immigration Lawyers Amid Riots
- Business Leaders Warn: UK Migration Policy Jeopardises University Sector
- Germany’s Citizenship Reform Takes Effect
- Europe on the Brink of a Depopulation Crisis: The Urgency for Structured Migration Policies
- Desperate for Millennial Talent, Germany Introduces ‘Chancenkarte’ for Job-Seeking Migrants
- Schengen in Peril: Germany’s Anti-Migration Policies rekindle EU Divisions
