Last night, around 120 entrepreneurs and experts from politics and science gathered at Dresden City Hall. The Office for Economic Development had invited them to an information day to discuss one of the most pressing economic challenges of our time: the shortage of skilled workers and the integration of foreign skilled workers.
Dresden in growth: integration as the key to the future
Mr. Jan Pratzka, Dresden's Mayor for Economic Affairs, presented the impressive figures: The city has 280,000 employees subject to compulsory insurance and plans to create 10,000 new jobs in the north of the city. With 98,000 commuters coming to Dresden every day, the city is a magnet for workers. Of the more than 4,000 new jobs created in the last two years, an impressive 75 percent have been filled by skilled foreign workers. The top countries of origin of these new employees are Poland, the Czech Republic, Syria, India and Ukraine.
By 2030, the number of foreigners living in the city will increase to around 80,000. The integration of these people is therefore an essential part of urban development in order to offer them real prospects through apprenticeships, jobs and housing.
