Planning allows you to create the conditions for having the right staff at the right time in your company – enabling you to take further action. Approach your planning process in a strategic manner and implement it regularly. A good way to analyse the staff situation in your company is to visit the website of KOFA (available in German), a centre of excellence for securing skilled labour.

If you consciously decide to recruit applicants from abroad when identifying your needs, you should take the following aspects into account:

• It is generally more cost-intensive and it takes longer to search for suitable candidates abroad. However, you will have a greater chance of recruiting a professional who matches your role requirements closely. After all, international teams open up new perspectives.
• If your company engages in export, it may be particularly beneficial to recruit qualified professionals from your target markets: staff from abroad may well have specific cultural or language skills that they can contribute to your company.