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Labour migration
Article Migration
Germany started recruiting foreign workers from southern Europe and the Mediterranean region in 1955 after concluding an agreement with Italy.
Later, the government signed recruitment agreements with Spain, Greece (1960), Turkey (1961), Morocco (1963), Portugal (1964), Tunisia (1965) and Yugoslavia (1968).
As a result of the economic slowdown, caused among other things by the oil crisis, the Federal Cabinet ordered a stop to further recruitment of foreign labour in November 1973. Few exceptions were made to this ban on recruitment, and few foreign workers were admitted to Germany.
Later changes to the relevant laws gradually expanded the possibilities for foreign workers to move to Germany. The most recent change in this regard was the introduction of the EU Blue Card on 1 August 2012, which makes it easier for skilled workers from non-EU countries to work in the EU. Germany’s current system of labour migration is tailored to the needs and demands of the labour market and is part of the Federal Government’s demographic strategy.
