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Podcast Episode 4 Shortage of Keyworkers

12.12.2022  |  Application, European Visas, Helpful, Relocation Information

Shortage – the world in the grip of the shortage of skilled workers

This explosive, highly topical topic actually affects us entrepreneurs ALL – shortage of skilled workers is not a German, Austrian or other, locally limited problem, but a global phenomenon.

Whatever the reason why the shortage of skilled workers has been running through the world's companies since the outbreak of the corona pandemic is an unanswered question. I discuss this topic a lot both professionally and privately, with very different people with different backgrounds and fields of activity, and have not yet come across any scientific explanation of the problem.

In my own industry, relocation management, I notice the shortage of skilled workers due to increasing order numbers. Many companies, especially in the IT sector, are currently recruiting highly qualified specialists from abroad – for example from China, India or Iran.

In this context, however, increasing numbers of orders do not mean anything good for once, because the increasing number of people entering the country and willing to work means a considerable additional effort for the authorities – and unfortunately it must be said that the administrative apparatus (not only the Austrian one – this is not meant to be a treatise on the slow-grinding mills of public institutions) has not yet reacted to the special requirements of the situation. Or even CAN not react – the shortage of skilled workers or the lack of personnel also affects the public service, one has to say fairly. Especially in immigration law, people cannot simply be trained, but must be legally qualified and familiar with the matter in detail.

The processing times on the authorities have become very long due to this circumstance, to put it politely. In Austria it is even possible, with 6 to 8 weeks; but in some German regions, the processing of work visas can take up to 6 months, which is a very big challenge for both employees and employers. In Austria (as the only country) the fact that an immigrant without a work visa (i.e. without a completed official procedure, i.e. without a red-white-red card) is not allowed to earn any money. It is probably not necessary to mention at this point what this means for the persons concerned, who have to finance their stay and their lives until they receive their work visas. You can't open an account, rent an apartment, and the like.

Austrian companies have reacted to this circumstance and often pay for accommodation until their employees are allowed to work. In comparison, in Holland, Portugal or Spain you can work immediately as soon as the application for a work visa is made - in these countries the visa D is sufficient.

Another problem arises in this context from the fact that the governments of Europe have outsourced their visa matters to their respective embassies in third countries, whose organisation often leaves much to be desired. This applies not only to the personnel situation, but also to such elementary things that could actually contribute as much to simplifying processes as the maintenance of the service website.

In addition, the embassies are increasingly refusing to issue or hand over the visa, even though the applicants meet all the requirements and the competent authorities have approved everything. For me, this is a completely incomprehensible, also legally untenable circumstance, which has already made me intervene several times for the benefit of my customers at various embassies.

I have an example from my everyday work ready for you at this point: an Iranian specialist has been waiting for 9 months for an appointment for his wife and son in order to be able to apply for visa D in the first place – the processing time that will follow is not yet included. In some countries, it takes two years for the D visa to be issued and the family to be reunited.

Overburden, inadequate structures and laws, which are no longer up-to-date due to the global situation, contribute to this - as in our example from earlier, for example, in that Austrian law, in contrast to the legal situation in other European countries, does not allow work without a ready-made work visa.

Examples for an improved approach can be found, for example, in Germany, namely the accelerated procedure for skilled workers. The corresponding law stipulates that the Employment Agency must decide on the application for the procedure within 7 days; and it must not take longer than 3 weeks for visa D to be issued.

From my point of view, this is a very sensible thing.

With this positive example, I say goodbye to you for today and hope to have enriched your time with my expertise.

for further questions regarding international employee deployment and skilled worker immigration write an email to: office@moves-consulting.com

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