Reinforcing path dependencies: The struggle to attract and integrate foreign workers in regions undergoing structural change

In order to address the demographically induced labour shortage, it is essential to attract and integrate foreign workers, particularly in the context of Germany’s ongoing structural transformation. However, the example of the Saxony-Anhalt part of the central German mining district indicates that historical path dependencies make this process considerably more difficult. Structural, institutional and economic factors pose a challenge to attracting and integrating foreign workers. There is an urgent need to investigate the related causes scientifically. Such research should be accompanied by a political, economic and social debate.