Germany Desperately Needs Migrant Workers to Keep Its Economy Functioning

Germany is facing a growing contradiction at the heart of its migration policy: it urgently needs foreign workers to keep its economy and public services functioning, yet its government continues to send an unwelcoming, even hostile, message to those who might come.

- TDG NETWORK

This contradiction echoes the country's postwar "guest worker" era, when West Germany invited foreign laborers—mostly from Turkey, Italy, and Yugoslavia—to rebuild the economy without giving much thought to their long-term integration.

Today, the stakes are higher: Germany's economy is shrinking, its population is aging, and basic services are under strain. Above all, the country needs working-age migrants to help support its ballooning pension system.