Population decline: Saxony-Anhalt needs more immigration!

Due to demographic trends, Saxony-Anhalt will lose more and more of its workforce in the coming years. In order to cushion this decline, our federal state needs significantly more workers from the EU and third countries. According to a recently published study by the Institute for Employment Research in Halle, there will otherwise be a shortage of up to 216,000 people of working age by 2035 if there is no influx of immigrants. According to a calculation by the Bertelsmann Foundation in April, the population of Saxony-Anhalt will shrink by 12.3 percent to 1.90 million people by 2040. This is the largest calculated decline in the population of any federal state. In the districts of Salzlandkreis, Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Mansfeld-Südharz, this figure is as high as 16 percent.

Dennis Helmich, state chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens Saxony-Anhalt, comments on this development:

“There is hardly a company in Saxony-Anhalt at the moment that is not desperately looking for skilled workers and employees. At the same time, nowhere is the population shrinking as much as it will here in the next few years. In order to secure our future, we must become much more attractive in the global competition for skilled workers and employees.

In many parts of Saxony-Anhalt, it is difficult for immigrants to be accepted, to find a job and to establish themselves socially. However, we must welcome people here. Obstacles must be tackled more consistently. This includes the unbureaucratic recognition of foreign educational qualifications and professional qualifications, but also the long-term placement in training courses. However, it is not uncommon for bureaucracy to get in the way. In some regions, the responsible immigration authorities in Saxony-Anhalt are still not sufficiently well positioned here.”

Helmich concludes: “However, migrants should also be able to integrate into society. We therefore want to open up the right to vote in local and state elections to migrants, for example, if they live permanently in Saxony-Anhalt.”