'India country of choice’ for skilled worker migration: German official
United Nations, May 8 : “India is the country of choice” for Germany under its country-specific migration policy and one of the most important sources of skilled workers, according to Florian Laudi, Germany’s Commissioner for Multilateral Affairs.
The “unprecedented cooperation” between the two countries is a “triple win” -- for the migrants, the host Germany that faces a labour shortage, and India that has a labour surplus, he said on Thursday at an event on “Leveraging Digital Innovation in Migration Governance” organised by India's UN mission .
“The win for the thousands of young Indian workers who came to Germany, I see it on the streets of Berlin every day”, he said.
“Overall, Indian migrants in Germany are highly qualified, especially in science and technology, and the extraordinary qualifications are mirrored in (their) average incomes, which are above the German median”, he said.
“In 2025 alone, 180,000 Indians have contributed to Germany's workforce, which is an increase of 656 per cent over the last ten years”, said.
“India has become one of Germany's key political and economic partners,” he said, "as we share core values and interests, freedom, democracy and the upholding of the rules-based international order”.
“However, there's one area that makes our partnership very special, and that is our close cooperation on migration”, he said.
He said, “India is one of our most important partners when it comes to skilled worker migration, as my chancellor [Friedrich Merz] pointed out during his recent visit to India in January this year”.
India and Germany signed the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) in 2022, creating a pathway for the migration of skilled workers, students, and researchers, Laudi said.
“We keep on facilitating relevant processes for migrants, like degree recognitions or accelerating and digitalising visa processes”, he said.
To promote skilled migration, India and Germany are also working on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and on making German language courses and examinations available at more venues. Laudi added.
More than 60,000 students have come to German universities for three consecutive years, making them the largest group of international students in the country, he said.
“More than half of them find employment in Germany after their studies”, he said.
Besides the highly skilled professionals, Germany is attracting other workers as well, he said.
"Close to 10,000 Indian apprentices are working and acquiring skills in one of the world's -- in a very humble way -- most renowned vocational training systems, which Germany is known for”, he said.
The “unprecedented cooperation” between the two countries is a “triple win” -- for the migrants, the host Germany that faces a labour shortage, and India that has a labour surplus, he said on Thursday at an event on “Leveraging Digital Innovation in Migration Governance” organised by India's UN mission .
“The win for the thousands of young Indian workers who came to Germany, I see it on the streets of Berlin every day”, he said.
“Overall, Indian migrants in Germany are highly qualified, especially in science and technology, and the extraordinary qualifications are mirrored in (their) average incomes, which are above the German median”, he said.
“In 2025 alone, 180,000 Indians have contributed to Germany's workforce, which is an increase of 656 per cent over the last ten years”, said.
“India has become one of Germany's key political and economic partners,” he said, "as we share core values and interests, freedom, democracy and the upholding of the rules-based international order”.
“However, there's one area that makes our partnership very special, and that is our close cooperation on migration”, he said.
He said, “India is one of our most important partners when it comes to skilled worker migration, as my chancellor [Friedrich Merz] pointed out during his recent visit to India in January this year”.
India and Germany signed the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) in 2022, creating a pathway for the migration of skilled workers, students, and researchers, Laudi said.
“We keep on facilitating relevant processes for migrants, like degree recognitions or accelerating and digitalising visa processes”, he said.
To promote skilled migration, India and Germany are also working on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and on making German language courses and examinations available at more venues. Laudi added.
More than 60,000 students have come to German universities for three consecutive years, making them the largest group of international students in the country, he said.
“More than half of them find employment in Germany after their studies”, he said.
Besides the highly skilled professionals, Germany is attracting other workers as well, he said.
"Close to 10,000 Indian apprentices are working and acquiring skills in one of the world's -- in a very humble way -- most renowned vocational training systems, which Germany is known for”, he said.
