The PuMa project helps professionals from various professions from non-EU countries find employment in Germany
In 2016, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg decided to test a new model for attracting skilled labor migrants from outside the EU. The pilot project called PuMa is approaching its final stage in September of this year. Deutsche Welle reports on what fruits this experiment has already borne.
Getting a job using a 100-point system
The project is designed for specialists with a secondary vocational education diploma and is limited to one region: the employer company must be located in Baden-Württemberg. A specialist who submits an application is evaluated on a 100-point system, where 100 points are the "entry ticket" to the German labor market.
Language skills are very important. In addition to qualifications, proficiency in German at level B2 and above provides 100 points and immediately opens access to the labor market. The minimum requirement is level A2 (which gives 25 points).
If German language skills are below level B2, points can be accumulated through four other criteria. For example, if the applicant has already been in Germany for work or study for a total of at least one year, that gives another 50 points. Relatives up to the second degree in Baden-Württemberg – 50 points. Six months of study or work in one of the EU countries – 25 points. Knowledge of English or French at level B1 – 25 points.
This simplified employment program is open to representatives of all professions who cannot qualify for a "Blue Card" and who are not on the so-called "white list" (Positivliste) of the Federal Employment Agency. This list enumerates groups of skilled trades for which Germany has the greatest need for specialists from outside the EU.
What hinders employment in Germany
The Central Placement Service for Employment Abroad (ZAV) at the Federal Employment Agency emphasizes the pilot nature of this project, the results of which cannot be assessed solely by the number of employed specialists. In fact, there are only 33 such individuals, including from Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, as noted by the ZAV, which coordinates this project, there is demand for the program.
How many people in total were interested in opportunities within PuMa, how many applications were rejected, and other data have yet to be calculated. But the main thing that the test has already confirmed: the obstacles to employment in Germany are significant.
"We have summarized the practical experience gained during the project. Our findings will be considered in the discussion of the new immigration law for skilled workers," said ZAV press secretary Beate Raabe in an interview with DW. The draft law was approved by the German government in December 2018. It still needs to be voted on by the German parliament before the end of this year.
As the project showed, the main obstacle for foreign specialists in Germany is poor knowledge of the German language. "In addition, applicants have little information about the formalities of a very complex employment process. How does diploma recognition work? What is the 'white list'?" explains Beate Raabe. "On the other hand, employers have high demands on applicants. They expect the same level of training from foreigners as from German specialists. Companies still need to learn how to approach candidates from abroad."
Another conclusion from the ZAV: applicants who are already in Germany for some reason (on vacation or visiting relatives, for example) make more active use of the opportunities of the PuMa project, and it is relatively easier for them to cope with individual stages of the employment process than for those who are abroad.
Who can participate in the project
The PuMa project ends on September 30. If you want to take advantage of the chance and try to find an employer this way, you should send your application much earlier, because the diploma verification process alone takes weeks. The ZAV advises aiming for June at the latest.
Currently, the project website lists 15 professions, including cook, painter, butcher, baker, plasterer, carpenter, and hairdresser. This list, as clarified by the ZAV, is for illustration purposes, to make it clearer who can find employment in Baden-Württemberg under the PuMa program. In addition, there are specific vacancies for these professions, and companies are willing to hire foreigners.
The applicant must have a secondary vocational education diploma obtained outside the EU. They must undergo a procedure for verification and recognition of the diploma in Germany. Active support in this, as well as any other employment-related matters, is provided by the Virtuelles Welcome Center service of the Federal Employment Agency.
Participation in the PuMa program is possible even if the diploma is only partially recognized. In this case, the applicant can obtain a visa for up to 18 months, start working at a company in Baden-Württemberg, and simultaneously upgrade their qualifications for full diploma recognition.
And one last but important fact. It concerns those who fear that foreign specialists in Germany will receive lower wages than Germans. "We (the Federal Employment Agency) pay attention to fair mobility, meaning that a person who comes to us from abroad works under the same conditions as specialists from Germany," emphasizes Beate Raabe from the Central Placement Service for Employment Abroad (ZAV).
The PuMa website lists the salaries for the 15 professions. A painter, for example, earns from 1,403 to 3,160 euros gross per month, a cook from 1,653 to 2,922 euros.