It is making it increasingly difficult to work in the United States, which has led many highly qualified researchers and professionals to seek outlets in other markets, outside of American borders. Germany wants to take advantage of this unusual talent drain to address its long-standing lack of qualified labor and which, according to experts, will worsen in the coming years due to demographic change.
“We want to facilitate immigration in the labor market and ensure that we attract the world’s best researchers, developers and specialists to Germany,” he declared at the annual metal industry event in mid-December in Berlin. To this end, the conservative leader explained that they are working to make the country attractive for “skilled workers, scientists and researchers who want to come to Germany.” “Many Americans are contacting us to tell us that they would like to come to Europe or Germany due to the current climate in the United States. Let’s take advantage of these opportunities together. We will create the necessary conditions to make it possible,” he said.
Businessmen have been warning the new coalition government formed between conservatives and social democrats about the problems in finding personnel and what this means for the German economy for some time. According to a study by the Institute of German Economics IW, close to employers, in October there was a shortage of almost 150,000 qualified workers in professions related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The authors of the study warn that, despite the economic recession in Germany, the shortage remains high and endangers important future projects in the fields of digitalization, climate protection, and defense, sectors where the German Government plans to.
But while in Germany they desperately search, in the United States, the Trump administration is cutting billions of dollars from scientific institutes and universities, restricting what can be studied, expelling immigrants and limiting the granting of visas for specialized workers. Until now, the United States was a magnet for the world’s best researchers, scientists and academics. The high budgets, salaries and cutting-edge equipment made it almost impossible for other countries to compete for them. “A historic opportunity is opening up for Germany: at a time when other countries are building walls, our country can open doors and thus benefit not only its science, but also its economy and its society in the long term,” explained IW economist Michael Hüther in the summer.
For decades, also for the Germans, who saw great job opportunities in it. However, this trend seems to have come to an end. According to the German Federal Statistics Office, from January to September more people emigrated from the United States to Germany than the other way around, for the first time since 2021. Specifically, 19,300 people arrived in the European country from the United States. This is 3.4% more than in the same period a year ago. This figure includes both tourists and people who arrived to study or work in Germany. American citizens can enter Germany without needing a visa and then apply for a residence permit on site, as recalled by the Ministry of the Interior.
“The number granted to US citizens in the country (first concessions after entry) increased by 32% in the comparative period from January to September between 2024 and 2025. This includes the following reasons for residence: work activity (including researchers), professional training, studies, recognition measures and job search (opportunity card),” explains a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior to EL PAÍS.
“Many American colleagues feel insecure and, in part, intimidated,” stated the president of the Max Planck Society (MPG), Patrick Cramer, a few months ago on the radio station Deutschlandfunk. Cramer then stated that he expected an influx of American researchers to Germany. “Some have already contacted the MPG. It then tries to make them offers, on the condition that they are ‘prominent personalities in the field of research’.” They are also noticing an increase in requests. According to the newspaper The worldthe prestigious Technical University of Munich (TUM) is receiving more applications than usual from the United States. Also in the Global Visiting Professor Programa stay program of up to three months for foreign guest professors at TUM, has considerably increased the number of applications, including from the United States.
But it’s not something that can be done with the snap of a finger. Specific investments and policies are needed, such as having an ambitious scholarship program for international talents, as recalled from the scientific field. Last July, the German Government launched the “1,000 more heads” program, known in English as Global Minds Initiative Germany, with which it seeks to offer “attractive professional prospects in Germany.” It is aimed at researchers from all over the world and from all disciplines at different stages of their career starting from the doctorate and finances both short-term and long-term research stays. Since its inception, funding has been granted to 166 researchers from 25 countries, 26 of them from the United States.
“We want to invest more than 600 million euros in this program. More than any other country in Europe. This is an enormous boost for the much-needed skilled workforce and for the “, declared the German Minister of Research, Technology and Astronautics, Dorothee Bär, in mid-December when welcoming some of the first beneficiaries, among whom was, for example, Johannes Stein, who recently researched at Harvard University in the field of bioengineering, and who now He will lead a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin.
From Germany they point out that it is about attracting people not only from the United States, but from other parts of the world, such as India, South America or Canada, who previously would have opted for the North American country, but who now run the risk of having difficulties entering the country or who doubt to what extent they will be welcome in the long term. Some regions such as – known for their rich business network with numerous leading companies in their sectors – want to take advantage of the situation to become a “magnet for cutting-edge international research”, as announced by its president, Winfried Kretschmann.
STEM workers are known to be more mobile than other professionals, creating fierce international competitiveness. “Programming languages and scientific laws are identical all over the world, so the skills can be applied more easily in other countries,” explains Axel Plünnecke, an expert on the subject at the IW economic institute. However, in his opinion, although Germany continues to enjoy a good reputation as a technological nation and many international students in Germany, the big challenge is to retain them afterwards. “Germany needs good support programs at universities for language learning, success in studies and job search, in order to further attract international students to stay in Germany,” adds Plünnecke.
