State Secretary Gebers: Central Saxony as a pioneer in recruiting skilled workers!

State Secretary Gebers: Central Saxony as a pioneer in recruiting skilled workers!

July 17, 2025 was a special day for the Central Saxony District Office. Leonie Gebers, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, did the honors and came to visit. The occasion was the awarding of the German Specialist Prize, which Mittelsachsen received for its outstanding platform www.welcome-mittelsachsen.de. This initiative has already achieved a lot and ensures that employers and foreign skilled workers can come together efficiently.

Gebers was received by the second deputy district administrator, Jörg Höllmüller, and by Jennifer Diehl, head of the immigration and asylum authority. During her visit, the State Secretary praised the project and spoke about the continuous development of the platform, which is aimed at employers, migrants and clubs.

Important digital support for professionals

The platform offers a variety of options that make it easier for companies to submit applications online and book virtual consultation hours. Additionally, there are useful checklists and comprehensive information provided in multiple languages. This makes it much easier for international specialists who want to orient themselves and settle in Germany. The introduction of an AI chatbot and a digital learning platform are also planned for this year, as landkreis-mittelsachsen.de reports.

Digitalization has optimized many administrative processes. The aim was to shorten the processing time of applications for the employment of foreign skilled workers and to reduce bureaucratic hurdles in accordance with the Online Access Act (OZG). This makes it easier to integrate skilled workers into the German labor market.

The big challenge: securing skilled workers

State Secretary Gebers' visit comes at a time when German politicians are intensively concerned with the issue of securing skilled workers. A modern immigration policy, as it has been since the entry into force of the Skilled Immigration Act on March 1, 2020, aims to meet the need for qualified workers. To achieve this, targeted measures and strategies are necessary so that both the economy and migrants benefit. The draft law on skilled worker immigration, which came into force in 2024, makes it possible to work in certain professions even if there is no qualification recognized in Germany.

Academic and professionally qualified specialists from third countries can now also hope for equal opportunities. Despite the progress, further steps are necessary to sustainably strengthen the immigration of skilled workers. For example, the federal government planned to further loosen access options for citizens of the six Western Balkan states and to optimize the legal framework for taking up work in each case. More information about this can be found at BIBB.

Overall, Gebers' visit to the Central Saxony district office shows how important the issues of recruiting and integrating skilled workers are for the future of the German economy. The continuous development of digital platforms and a targeted immigration policy are the key to successfully mastering the challenges.