For the first time since 2008, more people left Germany for other EU states than arrived, the paper said, citing Federal Statistical Office figures.
The decline is clearest among Poles, Romanians and Bulgarians, whose annual inflow of about 20,000 in 2011-15 has “dramatically” dropped.
“The migration potential is exhausted; those who wanted to work in Germany have already done so,” economist Thomas Liebig told FAZ.
He added that Poland, Romania and Bulgaria face even steeper demographic declines than Germany, reducing the number of young people willing to cross the Oder.
Improved economic conditions and lower unemployment at home are further eroding Germany’s appeal, Liebig said, as the economic gap between East and West narrows.
Germany still needs more than 300,000 new workers each year, FAZ noted, warning that filling the gap with non-EU recruits will demand new strategies.
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Germany has successfully attracted Ukrainian nationals, mainly because of generous welfare benefits, creating additional pressure on Poland’s labor market, said Alex Kartsel of staffing agency EWL Group.
Kartsel added that Poland could still strengthen its position by offering foreign workers stable residence, swift labor-market access and solid integration support.
(jh)
Source: DW, WP Finanse