German call for English to be second official language amid labour shortage

Politician from governing FDP says skilled foreign workers are being put off by unwieldy bureaucratic German

English should become a second official language at administrative offices in Germany, one of the country’s governing parties has argued, saying unwieldy bureaucratic German is proving too much of a deterrent for much-needed skilled workers from abroad.

The three-party government of the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in which the pro-business Free Democratic party (FDP) is a junior coalition partner, last autumn unveiled its own version of a “green card” – called Chancenkarte or “opportunity card” – designed to address a critical shortage of skilled labour.