Germany stops employing nursing staff from Brazil
Two years back, the German government settled an arrangement with Brazil, allowing for a steady influx of caregivers to Germany every year. However, this arrangement is now facing suspension. Several uncertainties have arisen, questioning if this labor migration is in fact harming Brazil.
The Federal Employment Agency has recently ceased the process of inviting Brazilian caregivers into Germany via a two-year-old mediation agreement. A spokesperson from the German Labor Ministry in Berlin shared, "The current Brazilian government raised questions about the mediation agreement and the stated excess of nursing staff in Brazil." The Federal Employment Agency, BA, played a role in facilitating the placement of Brazilian caregivers within the German healthcare system, under this mediation agreement with the Brazilian Nursing Council (CFE) until the end of 2023.
Back in the summer of 2022, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) of Germany embarked on a trip to Latin America. During their travels, both politicians advocated for enhanced collaboration with Brazilian caregivers. Brazil, being the largest nation in South America, is already an essential trading partner for Germany. At the time, the Federal Employment Agency stated that approximately 700 caregivers could be brought into Germany annually. As of now, there are around 2.5 million nursing professionals in Brazil, according to their local nursing association. BA has been facilitating the relocation of Brazilian experts to Germany's labor market since 2018.
As per the Ministry of Labor, the suspension of the pact with the Brazilian chamber was necessary due to preventative measures against exploiting the Brazilian labor market. Unaddressed concerns regarding the surplus of nursing staff in Brazil made it difficult to address these worries. As stated by Heil's ministry, the suspension of the agreement follows the principles of fairer mobility, ensuring that no recruitment takes place against the will of the origin country and that necessary qualified personnel are not lost in the homeland.
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In response to concerns raised by the current Brazilian government, Germany has temporarily halted the placement of Brazilian caregivers within its healthcare system. Despite having a large pool of nursing professionals, with around 2.5 million, Brazil has expressed apprehensions about the mediation agreement that allowed for the annual employment of 700 caregivers in Germany.
