We analyse potential in partner countries, for example regarding the quality of education and training systems, and examine the willingness for skilled labour migration.

Advice on migration policy

We advise partner countries on their migration policies, promote international recruitment standards and make the case for fair mobility of skilled labour.

Education and the labour market

We support partner countries in improving their education systems and labour market policies.

Placement in training programmes and employment

We arrange job placements for skilled workers, trainees and interns, manage the entire migration process and advise on recruitment abroad.

Individual migration advice

We provide information in our partner countries on taking up employment and completing training abroad.

Pre-integration services

With the aid of language courses, integration workshops and individual advisory services, we prepare foreign skilled workers for their move to Germany.

Training prior to departure

We check applicants’ qualifications and, if necessary, identify suitable training measures in the partner countries or Germany.

After arriving in Germany, skilled workers take part in an integration programme that covers cultural, social and legal aspects.

Global Skills Partnerships

Participants can complete a training course in line with international standards in their home country and prepare for jobs in Germany at the same time.

Making labour migration fair

Skilled labour migration can become an opportunity for all involved – if it is fair, transparent and based on partnership. We support this change with a comprehensive approach that focuses equally on people, markets and countries of origin and destination.

Migration that creates opportunities
Our services
Projects
Partnerships

Good migration needs clear rules – and a shared understanding of what is fair. People leave their home country for a variety of reasons: training, employment and the prospect of a better future are just a few examples.

If this migration pathway is well prepared, legally safe and supported transparently, all sides can benefit – migrants, their countries of origin and the societies they arrive in. Fair labour migration is therefore more than just a means of combating skilled labour shortages – it is a contribution to global justice.

Migration that creates opportunities – individually and economically

Fair migration for work and training not only helps migrants improve their opportunities of a better life. It also benefits economies – in the countries of origin and in the destination countries: while remittances and the capacities of returning skilled workers promote development in the countries of origin, migrant workers contribute to economic growth in their destination countries.

Principles and target groups – how GIZ works:

We support countries of origin by improving vocational training and creating fair migration policies designed to prevent skills shortages
We promote fair migration by supporting German companies in recruiting skilled workers from abroad
We provide applicants with transparent information about the migration process and their opportunities.

Together with our partners, we work to achieve the goals of the global agenda for sustainable development and the Global Compact on Migration.

Our services – from preparation to integration

Together with our partners in Germany and the countries of origin, we have been pursuing a comprehensive approach to fair migration for work and training for more than a decade. We tailor our services individually based on the needs of partner governments, commissioning parties, clients and the German economy. For example, we work on behalf of the German Government, individual federal states, the European Union and the private sector.

Our focus is on establishing fair partnerships with the countries of origin of potential skilled workers. This benefits all involved. What we provide:

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration are challenges for policy-makers and wider society: We support displaced people and host regions so that everyone benefits.

Projects

In Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and Latin America, we implement projects that focus on migration for work and training. The projects work bilaterally, regionally and globally and focus on different priority areas:

Labour migration and migration for training purposes:

Overarching projects:

Partnerships

We work with partners in Germany and internationally to ensure that migration for work or training purposes benefits migrants, countries of origin and countries of destination. In addition to the joint implementation of measures, the partnerships centre around shared learning and developing solutions.

German Federal Employment Agency – International Projects and Programmes

Goethe-Institut – Pre-integration and transition management – Ensuring a succes…

ZDH | German Confederation of Skilled Crafts

DIHK – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry

AHK – The German Chambers of Commerce Abroad

sequa gGmbH

International Organization for Migration – Labour migration

International Labour Organization – Labour migration

Human Mobility – Enabel – Belgian Development Agency |

International Centre for Migration Policy Development

Insights

Interview

‘Climate pledges must now be turned into action’

In this interview, Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven talks about what she anticipates from the COP31 climate change conference in Antalya. The Managing Director at GIZ underlines why GIZ’s work in this area serves German interests, too.

A smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, colorful glasses and an orange blazer stands in front of a colorful wall mural with a large red speech bubble that reads ‘giz’.

Background

An opportunity for climate action

Carbon markets mobilise funds for climate action projects. As the head of several such projects at GIZ, Sven Egbers explains how this works.

Illustration of a blue globe with two orange arrows arranged in a circle, a CO₂ cloud at the top right and a certificate with a seal at the bottom left, symbolizing emissions trading.

Topic

30.10.2026

Best Practice aus der Türkei: Kunststoff recyclen und Chancen schaffen

Im Interview spricht Eyyup Sezer darüber, wie das Unternehmen Sönmez Global die Kreislaufwirtschaft fördert und gleichzeitig die Lebensgrundlage von Geflüchteten unterstützt. Eine Win-win-Situation für alle.