The DIW study suggests that the lack of a welcoming culture in the East is hindering the influx of skilled workers from abroad.

Robert Czajkowski, spokesman of the board of the association “Wirtschaft für ein Weltoffenes Sachsen” and Managing Director of the textile machinery manufacturer Terrot, based in Chemnitz, takes a critical view of the situation: “The approval ratings for populists are not helpful for the stability of democracy and they hinder the success of the Saxon economy.” He warns that anyone looking to recruit workers from abroad must focus on integration and a welcoming culture within the company. Because: “Successful welcome and diversity management is a prerequisite for the success of the business location.”

“Yes, the east is currently less attractive for people coming from abroad,” says Alexander Kritikos, Research Director at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). “We see that the number of skilled workers who leave eastern Germany after working there is proportionately higher than in western Germany.”

Read the Augsburger Allgemeine article to find out why this is the case, what Intel and Anhalt’s Minister of Economic Affairs think about welcoming culture and Germany’s image abroad.