Center for International Migration and Development
The Center for International Migration and Development (CIM) is a working group of the Central Foreign and Specialized Mediation (ZAV) of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) based in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main and was Established in 1980.
Its main task is to place specialists and executives in positions that are important in terms of development policy in traditional developing countries or transition countries in Eastern Europe.
The organization offers two programs:
- The Integrated Skilled Workers (IF) program, which is aimed at German and EU specialists and managers who are looking for a job in the context of development cooperation,
- The Migration for Development (PME) program implements innovative offers for migrants who are returning to their home country or want to make a contribution to the development of their home country from Germany.
In both programs, the organization offers the referrers financial subsidies. These funds are made available by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) .
Integrated Skilled Workers program
The Integrated Skilled Workers program enables state and private institutions in developing countries , the states of Central and Eastern Europe and the successor states on the territory of the former Soviet Union to bridge temporary staff shortages by employing skilled workers for a limited period of time. The prerequisite for the placement of an integrated specialist is that the activity makes a contribution to the development of the partner country. Skilled workers who have German citizenship or those of another member state of the European Union are placed . These skilled workers are generally recruited on the German labor market and enter into an employment relationship with local employers who pay them local salaries. By integrating the skilled workers into the organization and the work processes of the employing institution, the employer's independence and responsibility are fully retained. Via CIM, the integrated specialists receive a salary subsidy from federal funds in addition to their local salary as well as grants for social security and for preparation for their work in the partner country. After finishing their work they can receive transitional allowance for their professional reintegration in Germany in the event of unemployment.
Migration for Development Program
Offer for returning experts
This program specifically supports the professional reintegration of young and experienced professionals from developing and emerging countries who are interested in returning, who have acquired professional qualifications in Germany and would like to return to their home countries. The focus is on the placement of qualified personnel in areas that are of particular importance for the development of the respective country. In addition to advisory and placement services, professionals interested in returning are also offered financial support under certain conditions. Employers are offered services such as support in finding applicants.
Offer to promote the commitment of migrant organizations
Migrant organizations are funded that improve the living conditions of people in their countries of origin through their own projects.
Offer migrants as entrepreneurs
Migrants who want to set up a company are advised and prepared and supported for setting up their own business through appropriate seminars. Currently, the offer extends to Morocco, Cameroon, Tunisia, Ghana, Colombia and Georgia.
Migration and policy advice
The organization advises governments in partner countries on how to improve their migration policy, for example through EU mobility partnerships.
Type of employment
The skilled workers recruited by the organization are not employed by the CIM as an employer according to federal German standards, but are taken over by an employer in the target country in a local employment relationship. The participation and personal responsibility of the foreign partners is a central aspect of the “Integrated Experts” program. The program cannot therefore be equated with the posting of specialists. The personal responsibility of the recruited skilled workers for their own social security is also a central aspect of the “Integrated Skilled Workers” program. The organization pays grants to the local salary that bring the total income to a market level. These grants are mostly taxable in the country of origin of the skilled worker, usually the Federal Republic of Germany: If you stay in Germany because they are not exempted by a special tax exemption regulation. If you give up your place of residence and thus have limited tax liability, because they usually represent income within the meaning of Section 49 No. 4b EStG. This is due to the fact that the CIM is almost 100% financed by the BMZ and the grants are therefore considered to be obtained indirectly from a domestic public fund. In individual cases, this limited tax liability may not apply due to a double taxation agreement with the country of assignment. This very complicated matter should be checked carefully before departure. Otherwise, the supposed gain in income of the skilled workers can lead to a rude awakening upon return. FG and BFH rulings clearly illustrate this. The tax situation of the integrated skilled workers is not regulated satisfactorily by law.
The organization advises the skilled workers in detail on social security (unemployment, pension, health, accident, occupational disability insurance) in the form of written information and personal consultations before leaving the country and, if requested, contributes to the costs incurred for possible compulsory insurance and voluntary insurance. However, the scope of these investments cannot be equated with the services provided by German employers. CIM therefore advises specialists to seek individual advice from the responsible bodies (Federal Employment Agency, health insurance, pension insurance institutions).
According to the 2005 annual report, 19% of the skilled workers placed by CIM state their status as unemployed before they leave, 26.8% self-employed. After the assignment abroad, the CIM employees receive a temporary transitional allowance as a voluntary service if they cannot find suitable employment immediately. In the case of longer stays, there is a delay in the shortened time of the pension payment due to lower pension entitlements if the pension insurance was not continued. In the event that an activity in the destination country has to be given up due to illness, the skilled workers without social entitlements that could come into effect from social insurance, if no precaution, e.g. B. in the form of an entitlement, was taken independently.
It is economically interesting to work abroad via the CIM for young skilled workers, for example immediately after completing their professional qualifications. They can then gain their first professional experience in the target country. The 54 million euros in funding from the CIM (as of 2007) are primarily financed from federal funds (title 685 08).
Security aspects
The organization is a working group of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) with the Federal Employment Agency and, as a staff unit of the GIZ, is affiliated to them in terms of corporate policy. That is why CIM is also represented by the GIZ offices in the partner countries. In the event of a crisis, the specialists placed by CIM are therefore also involved in GIZ's security measures. For the specialists placed by CIM, there is a problematic security situation in some target countries. Since they are not officially working on behalf of a German development aid organization, the Federal Foreign Office acts as a supporting institution for them in the event of a crisis. In the Near and Middle East in particular, the situation for German specialists is particularly relevant to security, especially in the case of cooperation with government organizations.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ CIM annual report ( Memento of the original of December 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 397 kB)
