Schroeder wants Indian IT experts to fill shortage in Germany

LONDON, FEB 25: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said that his country was considering inviting Information Technology IT special...

LONDON, FEB 25: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said that his country was considering inviting Information Technology IT specialists from India andEastern Europe to fill the gap in the number of qualified IT experts thatGermany needs. Chancellor Schroeder was speaking at the opening of thecomputer fair in Hanover.

Speaking of the shortage of qualified IT specialists in Germany he said: 8220;For that reason it may become necessary to bring foreign IT specialist toGermany.8221; He added that he referred specially to IT professionals from Indiaand eastern Europe. Schroeder said that Germany 8220;could not throw away the revolutionary mood of the moment8221; and must use the chances for economic growth. In the 1950s Germany, facing an acute shortage of industrial manpower after the Second World War, opened its doors to 8220;guest workers8221; from Turkey and Italy. However, even after living and working in Germany for 40 years, German nationality law defines such people as 8220;guest workers8221;, they cannot get German citizenship, and until recently neither could their children.

Turkish 8220;guest workers8221; and their families in Germany have, in recent years, been the target of sustained attack from racists and neo-fascistnationalists. The incidence of such attacks appeared to rise with the unification of East and West Germany, when unemployment levels rose sharply. Chancellor Schroeder8217;s announcement, to permit the German IT companies tolook for specialists from outside the European Union to fill a manpower gap,is in the same spirit as the law which permitted the employment of Turkish8220;guest workers8221;. However, there are indications that there may be changes to the visa/work permit regime that will make terms of residence in Germanymore acceptable. According to reports a commission has been set up to devisea residence permit, perhaps like the US green card.

There is bound to be criticism of Schroeder8217;s announcement. Labour Minister Walther Riester is said to be opposed to the move. Unemployment in Germany is almost 8 per cent. The country reportedly has 30,000 unemployed IT specialists and 50,000 unemployed engineers. The political right, and theright wing media, are unlikely to resist headlines about German jobs going toforeigners. Only a few weeks ago, Germany joined other European Union countries in a rather robust denunciation of Austrian Freedom Party leader Jorg Haidar, who has made a career from playing up the fear of the foreigner.

Chancellor Schroeder, who sees himself very much as a modern leader, is unlikely to back down in the face of such threats from within his own country. In order to hire It specialists from India such legal restrictions to employing non-European Union citizens will have to be lifted. German employers, like those in all European Union countries are required by law to first offer jobs to German and EU citizens. Non-EU country nationals can be employed only if no EU national is found to make the grade. It is estimated that German firms would together be looking for some 30,000 IT specialists.