During his first visit to Schwerin, Biercher, the new head of the North Employment Agency, sends positive signals. He is currently not worried about the development of the job market in the north-east.

Schwerin (dpa / mv) - The new head of the regional office north of the employment agency has strengthened the state government during his initial visit to Schwerin. "The state government isn't doing anything wrong. Period," said Markus Biercher on Thursday, referring to the current unemployment rate of 7.6 percent in December.

In a holiday country with strong seasonal fluctuations, this is no longer a major strategic challenge for labor market policy. Biercher described the development of the labor market over the past two decades as "wonderful"; in 2004 there were still unemployment rates of around 30 percent in Western Pomerania.

Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) was also optimistic: "Despite these crises - the corona pandemic, the energy crisis - our labor market is stable and robust." However, she made it clear that securing the supply of skilled workers was a challenge.

In view of the large number of refugees from Ukraine in the northeast, Biercher sees the country on the right track. "What I really like is that people from Ukraine find work here," he said. The number of employees from Ukraine who are subject to social security contributions has risen from 1,000 to almost 3,000, and almost half of the refugees are already enrolled in language and integration courses.

The head of the agency assumes that the labor market integration of the mostly female refugees will pick up speed by the end of the year. According to figures from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 4,430 people from Ukraine are currently looking for work in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.