EU, in search of workforce - Number of Blue Cards for foreign workers quadruples
In recent years, the number of EU Blue Cards for skilled workers from non-EU countries has increased significantly. However, experts suspect that this mechanism is not enough to attract the best global talent.
Some 4.3 million people moved to the EU from non-member countries in 2023, while 1.5 million moved between countries within the bloc. While the European Union works to control illegal immigration, some countries are actively seeking foreign workers.
The Blue Card is one of the ways to attract highly qualified professionals from outside the EU. In 2023, around 89,000 professionals from non-EU countries received the Blue Card, with the majority of them issued by Germany.
The European Commission has introduced several improvements to make the Blue Card more attractive to third-country nationals and employers. However, experts and researchers remain skeptical about whether this mechanism is sufficient to attract the best talent.
The number of Blue Cards issued by EU Member States has increased significantly in recent years, from 20,979 in 2016 to 89,037 in 2023, marking a more than fourfold increase, or more than 300% within seven years.
A professor at Radboud University noted that many countries in the bloc face severe labor market shortages and in some cases, the Blue Card is used as a tool to attract international talent.
According to Eurostat, Germany was the country that issued the most Blue Cards in 2023, with 69,353, accounting for 78% of the total. Followed by Poland with 7,402 (8%) and France with 3,912 (4%). Lithuania ranks fourth with 1,710, while Austria issued 1,135.
In 2023, Indian nationals were the largest recipients of Blue Cards (21,228 or 24%), followed by Russian nationals (11%), Turks (7%), and Belarusians (6%).
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