Welcome Center Region Hannover reports successful interim results

January 14, 2026 - Structures remain in place, special project to recruit skilled workers from India gets underway.

Drei Frauen und ein Mann stehen nebeneinander und schauen in die Kamera. — From left to right: Vanessa Geruschkat, Human Resources Marketing Officer at Diakonie, Ia Gvaramadze, skilled worker placed through the Welcome Center, Tornike Murtskhvaladze, Head of the Welcome Center Region Hannover, and Tatia Chkhenkeli, Advisor at the Welcome Center Region Hannover.

Since its foundation, the Welcome Center Region Hannover has been the central point of contact for international skilled workers and companies in the region. It provides support with recruitment, recognition of foreign qualifications, administrative procedures, and integration – thus closing a crucial gap, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are often unable to cope with complex immigration processes on their own.

And this is also necessary, as Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of Economic Affairs, now emphasizes in an interim assessment:

"Withoutinternational skilled workers, our economic system—and above all our social system—would collapse. The figures prove that our approach works. The important thing is to create the necessary structures."

Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of Economic Affairs

The Welcome Center's results show a significant increase in consultations.

Sechs Personen sitzen an einem Tisch, 3 Männer und 3 Frauen.

156 consultations with international skilled workers (2024: 96).
82 company consultations (2024: 79)
10 successful placements that led to concrete hires (2024: 6).

At the same time, there was a shortage of over 53,000 skilled workers across the state in 2024, with almost half of all vacancies lacking suitably qualified applicants. Technical, nursing, educational, construction-related, and IT professions are particularly affected. In the Hanover region, the greatest shortages are in the areas of manufacturing, construction, health, IT, logistics, and social professions.

Head of Economic Affairs Ulf-Birger Franz sums it up:

"Demographicchangeleaves us no choice: in the long term, around 288,000 immigrant workers will be needed nationwide each year to stabilize the labor market. In our region, nursing, IT, and skilled trades are particularly affected by the shortage of skilled workers. The Welcome Center is our response to this – practical, with minimal bureaucracy, and directly geared to the needs of businesses."

Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of Economic Affairs

Specialization in recruiting skilled workers from India

In October 2025, the Welcome Center launched the "TalentHUB India" project, funded by the state of Lower Saxony, which specifically supports the recruitment of skilled workers from India for the region.

"India offers enormous potential, especially in the areas of nursing and IT. With our experience, we can play a pioneering role here and share the expertise gained in the project with other Welcome Centers in Lower Saxony," emphasizes Franz.

The project aims to work closely with the strong Indian community in the Hanover region in particular to actively contribute to the integration of skilled workers and retain them in the Hanover region.

Cooperation with the Employment Agency and companies

Vier Personen der Diakonie auf der Arbeit laufen in einem Flur weg von der Kamera.

Heike Döpke, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Hanover Employment Agency:

"Together with the Welcome Center, we are building bridges between the labor market and international skilled workers. Our experience shows that companies often despair of the bureaucracy and do not understand why so many different authorities have to be involved and so many applications have to be submitted. The Welcome Center creates a central point of contact here. All the players involved contribute their expertise, thereby avoiding unnecessary effort for the skilled worker and the company."

What is the Welcome Center Region Hannover?

The Welcome Center Hannover Region is the first point of contact for international skilled workers and companies in the region. It provides support in the following areas:

Recruitment (government recruitment programs)
Recognition of foreign qualifications (e.g., for nurses, engineers, IT specialists)
Administrative procedures (visas, residence permits, family reunification)
Integration (finding accommodation, language courses, networking)
Consulting for companies (e.g., on intercultural competence or diversity management)

Why does the Welcome Center Hannover Region exist?

The shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges facing the economy. At the same time, many recruitment efforts fail due to bureaucratic hurdles or cultural differences. The Welcome Center simplifies these processes, making the Hannover Region more attractive to skilled workers and companies.

Who is the target group of the Welcome Center Region Hannover?

The target group is international professionals who want to work in the Hannover Region and companies that are urgently looking for qualified personnel—especially small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have their own HR departments for international recruitment.