Symposium in Potsdam: Ways to integrate international skilled workers

Symposium in Potsdam: Ways to integrate international skilled workers

An important event is coming up in Brandenburg: On Thursday, July 17, 2025, the specialist day “Work & Training – Skilled and Workforce International” will take place in the adult education center at Seddiner See. This specialist day starts at 1:30 p.m. and lasts until 5:00 p.m. Employers, educational institutions, regional actors and anyone interested who would like to get involved in the topics of demographic change, shortage of skilled workers and integration of people with a migration background in Brandenburg are invited. The aim of the specialist day is to discuss opportunities and strategies for attracting and integrating international skilled workers, reports Potsdam-Mittelmark.

Dr. Christoph Löwer, district councilor, will open the event, and participants can expect exciting short impulses, including from Steffi Randig, Bernd Schade and Clara Mnich, who will shed light on the topic of “International skilled workers as a motor of regional development”.

Insight into the numbers

The situation on the labor market in Brandenburg has changed significantly in recent years. Since 2010, more people have moved into the region than left every year. In 2023, however, Brandenburg lost around 1,500 people without German citizenship due to migration within Germany. Net immigration from abroad still amounted to around 17,000 people, mostly between the ages of 30 and 45. These developments could help counteract the impending decline in the working-age population, as around a sixth of this group could shrink by 2040, as the Integration media service explains.

Interestingly, around 11 percent of employees subject to social insurance contributions in Brandenburg are now foreign employees. The increase in foreign employees is significant: from 21,500 in 2013 to 99,000 in 2023. This development could help in certain sectors that are often affected by skills shortages, such as the logistics and transport sectors, where 30 percent of employees are now of foreign origin.

Shortage of skilled workers and solutions

The shortage of skilled workers remains an urgent issue at the federal level. According to Deutschlandfunk, around 767,000 positions were unfilled nationwide in May 2023. Qualified workers are in short supply, particularly in areas such as nursing, crafts and technology. To counteract this, the federal government is planning special measures to recruit skilled workers from abroad. This includes the introduction of an “Opportunity Card” that enables people to look for a job in Germany for a year, even if they do not yet have an employment contract.

These reforms do not come without controversy: critics fear that this could have a negative impact on integration efforts and also raise questions about bureaucracy. Particularly as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, it is becoming increasingly important to attract new, qualified workers.

The specialist day also offers specialist lectures, for example by Melanie Schreiber, who talks about strategies for attracting skilled workers internationally, and Pervin Sucuoglu, who sheds light on the challenges of integrating into the labor market. Practical examples, for example from Druse, regiobus Potsdam Mittelmark GmbH, and Issam Kanjo from the DaMOst initiative, round off the program.

At the end of the day, a “marketplace of opportunities” invites participants to find out about offers for integration, training and recruiting skilled workers. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required by July 7, 2025 via the School & Economic Forum PM network website.

The developments in Brandenburg and the upcoming initiatives underline that the region is actively responding to the challenges of the skills shortage and recognizes the potential of international skilled workers to shape a positive future.