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Empresas y finanzas

Education of immigrants seen key to German economy


    By Sarah Marsh

    BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will face a "dramatic shortage" of highly qualified workers by 2020 unless it improves its track record on integrating and educating pupils from a migrant background, a study showed on Thursday.

    An ageing population and the poor integration of immigrant children into the German education system mean ever fewer skilled graduates are entering the workforce of Europe's largest economy, according to the study by Boston Consulting Group.

    "The integration of young immigrants in Germany's educational system will be critical to the success of its future economy," Christian Veith, a co-author of the study, told Reuters.

    BCG calculates immigrant children will make up 40 percent of people entering the workforce in 2032, up from 24 percent in 2005, accelerating the need for better integration.

    It estimates some 80,000 immigrants are entering the workforce each year without the necessary vocational skills. The group warns this could lead to a dire economic situation with mass unemployment among unskilled workers and a shortage of skilled labour.

    Around 2.7 million immigrants of Turkish origin live in Germany, comprising the country's biggest immigrant group. Large numbers of them live in closed communities where little German is spoken.

    Despite maintaining some employment restrictions, Germany has also seen influxes of people from Eastern European countries in recent years.

    Germany -- which prides itself on having produced world-famous philosophers, writers and scientists -- has in the last few years been confronted with studies showing standards in its schools only rate as average compared to other nations.

    In particular, it is seen as having a poor track record on providing equal educational opportunities to immigrants.

    BCG calculates immigrant children make up only 4 percent of students at high schools preparing pupils for a university degree, but 20 percent of students at "Hauptschule" -- the lowest academic rung.

    (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Sophie Hares)