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Political party leaders in Germany say their country is failing to attract skilled workers from abroad because they don't speak German. Their solution? Make English the country's official second language.
The idea, presented by the Free Democratic Party, comes after Chancellor Olaf Scholz unveiled his own version of a "green card" that allows people to apply for jobs in Germany. However, because of the language barrier, few have applied, says party spokesman Johannes Vogel. "Skilled workers who want to come to Germany should be able to successfully apply for our new points-based ‘green card’ scheme from abroad -- even if they don’t yet speak fluent German,” Vogel says. “And the offices where they have to register once these workers are here should be able to offer them English application forms and caseworkers who are fluent in English."
In 2022, Germany recorded an average of 844,000 job vacancies -- a record for the country. Currently, there are 764,326 positions available.