Germany Turns to India to Address Worker Shortage
Thursday, 2026/03/26163 words3 minutes247 reads
Germany is facing a serious shortage of skilled workers. As older employees retire, there aren't enough young Germans to replace them. The country is now looking to India for help.
In February 2021, Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg received an unexpected email from an Indian employment agency. They offered to send young, motivated people for vocational training. At the time, many German employers were desperate to find workers, especially in the butchery trade.
The first group of 13 young Indians arrived in autumn 2022 to begin apprenticeships in butcher shops. Among them was 21-year-old Anakha Miriam Shaji, who had never left India before. She wanted to see the world and improve her living standards.
Today, 200 young Indians work in German butcher shops, and the program has expanded to include bakers, mechanics, and other skilled trades. Germany needs 288,000 foreign workers per year to maintain its workforce. Meanwhile, India has 600 million people under 25, creating a perfect match between German jobs and Indian workers.
