Skilled workers report positive effects

The recently published study ‘On the road to professional recognition – the reasons and experiences of skilled workers with foreign professional qualifications’ focuses on how international skilled workers perceive the process, from the initial application to the final decision. It also looks at what additional support they would like. In this interview, the head of the BIBB recognition monitoring programme, Ricarda Knöller, and the co-authors of the study, Vira Bushanska and Katharina Gilljohann, discuss the key findings.

What is special about the current study?

Ricarda Knöller: The study is based on responses from international skilled workers. To this end, our team started in 2023 to build a database of skilled workers for surveys who acquired their professional qualifications abroad. We want to use this pool to gather their perspectives at various points in the recognition process. And we succeeded in doing so in the first study: we gained more precise insights into the motivation of skilled workers and learned what helps them and where they would like to see more support. This is very valuable and a good start to our survey of skilled workers.

What are the key findings of the study?

Vira Bushanska: It is encouraging to note that skilled workers report on the positive effects of recognition or a Statement of Comparability (for foreign higher education qualifications) – these are reflected in better opportunities on the labour market, better working conditions and, last but not least, more appropriate employment. The skilled workers confirm: recognition pays off! It is interesting to note that for many of the respondents, these advantages have a greater impact in non-regulated professions. This underlines the importance of recognition, even if it is not legally required in the professions. At the same time, various points were made in which skilled workers would like to see more support, for example. 

Where do you see the greatest potential for providing even better support to skilled workers?

Katharina Gilljohann: More training programmes and language courses could be helpful. Often, there are not enough training opportunities – either because there are not enough places or because the hours are not compatible with a job or family. One-third of those surveyed also stated that their German skills were insufficient at the time of the training. The topic of language skills is therefore also central. 

Vira Bushanska: The results also show that skilled workers would find even more support and counselling helpful. This applies in particular before the application is submitted, but also after a decision has been made. For example, when applicants receive a decision that still requires further training to achieve full equivalence of their foreign professional qualifications, skilled workers often do not understand how to proceed. Explanatory comments or references to the decision, which is of course written in formal language, would be a good starting point.

Ricarda Knöller: We are already working with the competent authorities on this point. For example, we have developed model decisions for specific occupations. These can be applied to other reference occupations and contribute to a comprehensive standardisation of documents. In December 2024, the federal and state governments also adopted optimisation measures that address many points in the overall process. 

Carolin Böse, Vira Bushanska and Katharina Gilljohann have evaluated the results of the skilled workers' survey and published them under the following title: “On the way to professional recognition – the motives and experiences of skilled workers with foreign professional qualifications”, BIBB 2025.

The authors are research associates in the recognition monitoring team at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), which is providing scientific support for the implementation of the recognition Act. Contact for questions: anerkennungsmonitoring@bibb.de