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Germany faces a critical labour shortage due to an ageing population and years of strong economic demand. In 2023, roughly 1.7 million jobs remained vacant, with acute gaps in sectors such as healthcare, IT, engineering and construction leading to weaker GDP growth since 2016 (statistik.arbeitsagentur.de). At the same time, Syria is emerging from over a decade of conflict that devastated its economy—the gross domestic product (GDP) has contracted by an estimated 84 percent since 2010—and has left over 90 per cent of Syrians in poverty. Rebuilding Syria will require massive human capital; the United Nations (UN) estimates reconstruction costs of around US $400 billion.
Paradoxically, while Syria’s domestic economy struggles to absorb workers, many Syrian nationals (including refugees abroad) have acquired education and skills that could be utilised more efficiently. For example, Germany has taken in around one million Syrian refugees during the war, many of whom have since filled gaps in critical industries. This situation presents an opportunity for a mutually beneficial labour mobility partnership. A carefully structured bilateral labour recruitment agreement between Germany and Syria can help fill Germany’s labour needs while enabling Syrians to support their country’s reconstruction through remittances, skills transfer and circular migration.