Government rejects calls to import computer specialists
The government has rejected calls to relax work permit restrictions for foreign computer specialists. It said the shortage of experts was not as drastic as in Germany or the United States.
The government’s statement is in response to calls by the industry to further open up the labour market.
It acknowledged there is a high demand for information technology (IT) and e-commerce specialists but said the size of the labour shortage – 25,000 people – had been exaggerated.
It added that only about half the quota of work permits for the year had been awarded, and said 8,000 permits were still available.
However, the cabinet pledged to monitor the situation carefully and to try to take into account the needs of the IT industry.
In March, a member of parliament asked the government to ease restrictions and allow the recruitment of large numbers of IT experts from India and eastern Europe.
Since the early 1990s, most work permits for professions have been granted to citizens from European Union countries. Under a government proposal published earlier this month, non-EU citizens would only qualify for permits if they are highly qualified and urgently needed.
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