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"Welcome to Germany,” leads Handelsblatt's front page. The greeting is extended to any foreigners who might want to apply for skilled jobs in German industry, which is running short on manpower these days. Which is why labour minister Ursula von der Leyen is now breaking a “taboo”: she has told the business daily that German jobseekers are no longer going to be given preference over foreigners in the labour market. This measure is chiefly aimed at making up the shortage of doctors and of engineers in the key sectors of mechanical engineering and automaking. The industry is relieved, observes the Handelsblatt. Only Horst Seehofer, governor of the Bavarian economic powerhouse, objects to “inviting further immigration from foreign cultural circles”.
