Presidential Efforts to Attract Skilled Workers
In the battle against skilled labor shortages, the German government is seeking to attract individuals from Vietnam. In Hanoi, Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil can count on the support of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The German government has made an effort to recruit skilled workers from Vietnam. At the start of a state visit to the Southeast Asian country, the labor ministers of both states signed a corresponding agreement.
“We in Germany have a great demand for skilled workers. And we are pleased that Vietnam is ready to cooperate with Germany,” said Steinmeier after a meeting with President Vo Van Thuong in the capital, Hanoi. “I believe this is the beginning of a truly fruitful cooperation,” said Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil.
Heil aims to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles
The goal is to “eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and ensure that the people who come to Germany are treated fairly,” said Heil. The legal framework has already been established with the Skilled Immigration Act, now the focus is on practice, according to the SPD politician. In Vietnam, targeted information about the legal situation and opportunities in Germany should also be provided.
Steinmeier and Heil visited the Goethe Institute in Hanoi at the beginning of their visit to learn about the language training of young Vietnamese who have already completed vocational training and are soon to come to Germany.
Steinmeier advocates for increased economic cooperation
Steinmeier arrived in Vietnam in the morning. He is accompanied by his wife Elke Büdenbender and a delegation from the economy. The Federal President made it clear in Hanoi that Germany is interested in increased economic cooperation. The bilateral trade volume currently stands at around 18 billion euros. Germany is Vietnam’s most important trading partner in Europe and the fourth-largest investor. “This far from exhausts the potential in the economic relations between our two countries.”
President Thuong asked Steinmeier for support in securing the ratification of the investment protection agreement between his country and the EU by the German Bundestag.
This is already the fifth trip to Asia undertaken by the Federal President since the start of the Ukraine conflict almost exactly two years ago. Germany is positioning itself politically and economically in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The relationship with China, along with its economic dependencies, is now being assessed with greater scrutiny than just a few years ago, resulting in increased focus on cooperation with China’s neighbors.
One of the last communist states
Vietnam is almost the same size as Germany in terms of area, but has 15 million more people with a population of over 98 million. The country is one of the last remaining communist states worldwide but has long opened up economically.
Nevertheless, Vietnam remains a one-party system. The Communist Party claims leadership of the state and society for itself. Other parties are not allowed. Human rights organizations see freedom of expression and press freedom severely restricted. The right to freedom of association is undermined, and there are arbitrary arrests as well as torture and mistreatment of detainees. Vietnam ranks 178 out of 180 countries on the press freedom index by “Reporters Without Borders.”
According to the Federal Statistical Office, approximately 207,000 people with Vietnamese migration backgrounds lived in Germany in 2022. Germany and Vietnam have been connected in a “strategic partnership” since 2011, but it had somewhat stagnated. In November 2022, Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Hanoi to revive the partnership.