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Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 29 22. June 2020 An Evaluation of the Motives for Migration to Germany of Persons who Have Moved to Germany: Over One Million Working-Oriented Immigrants in 10 Years

Since 2017, the microcensus records the motives of persons born abroad for moving to Germany. This provides new insights into the contexts in which immigration takes place.

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Over One Million Working-Oriented Immigrants in 10 Years
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 29 22. June 2020

An Evaluation of the Motives for Migration to Germany of Persons who Have Moved to Germany: Over One Million Working-Oriented Immigrants in 10 Years

IW-Report

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

Since 2017, the microcensus records the motives of persons born abroad for moving to Germany. This provides new insights into the contexts in which immigration takes place.

An own analysis shows that in 2017, around 1.06 million of the 3.56 million people between 15 and 64 years of age who have come to the country since 2007 should be classified as labour-marketoriented immigrants. That corresponds to a share of 29.8 per cent. Immigration for family reasons accounts for 974,000 persons or 27.4 per cent and education-oriented immigration for 361,000 or 10.1 per cent. A differentiation according to the countries of origin shows that the vast majority of employment-oriented immigrants come from the area entitled to freedom of movement. The EU and other Western European countries together account for 72.8 percent, with 51.1 percent come from the five countries Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia alone. This could lead to substantial gaps at the German labour market, should immigration from these countries decline,. For this reason, politicians should work towards making Germany more attractive for employment-oriented immigrants from third countries when implementing the new Immigration of Skilled Workers Act. The regional dimension of employment-oriented immigration must also be kept in mind, as up to now it has been mainly the economically strong federal states in the south that have benefited. In 2017, more than half of all employment-oriented immigrants (52.5 percent) lived in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, whereas this was only the case for 42.9 percent of all persons between 15 and 64 years of age who have immigrated since 2007.   

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Over One Million Working-Oriented Immigrants in 10 Years
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 29 22. June 2020

Wido Geis-Thöne: Über eine Million erwerbsorientierte Zuwanderer in 10 Jahren – Eine Auswertung der Wanderungsmotive nach Deutschland zugezogener Personen

IW-Report

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

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Philipp Deschermeier IW-Trends No. 3 14. September 2024

IW Population Forecast 2024

The demographic transition poses major challenges for policymakers, business and society as a whole. Policymakers seeking solutions to these challenges mainly base their decisions on the quantitative data of population forecasts.

IW

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Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 11 7. April 2021

Possible Developments in the Supply of Skilled Workers up to the Year 2040

The German labor market is on the verge of a fundamental upheaval. While the number of people in the labor force has risen steadily in recent decades, it is likely to drop significantly as soon as the baby boomers retire.

IW

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