Federal agency warns against cutting Western Balkans worker quota

The German Federal Employment Agency has urged Berlin not to cut the special access rule that allows citizens from the Western Balkans easier entry to the German labour market, warning that a reduction would worsen staff shortages across sectors.

According to the agency, more than one million people from the Western Balkans are currently employed in Germany with mandatory social insurance. The present yearly quota allowing workers from the region to take up jobs in Germany stands at 50,000.

Agency: halving the quota would damage a working model

Vanessa Ahuja, a labour-market expert at the agency, warned that Berlin’s plan to halve the quota from January 2027 — reducing it to 25,000 places a year — would make recruitment harder for companies and deepen the shortage of qualified staff.

“A halved quota would weaken a successful migration model, worsen the shortage of qualified labour and make it harder for companies to find new workers. If special investments and accelerated construction development are to succeed, companies must be able to find suitable labour,” Ahuja said.

The agency’s data show that 53 percent of migrants from the Western Balkans in Germany work as skilled professionals or in positions that require higher qualifications, and roughly half are employed in occupations where Germany faces labour shortages. The quota introduced in 2016 covers citizens of North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.

Officials note the existing 50,000 ceiling was already insufficient in 2025 and is expected to be fully used well before the end of this year — a development that, the agency says, strengthens its case against a reduction. Companies say they need predictable access to workers if planned investments and fast-track construction projects are to proceed on schedule.

Photo: press material from the event