Germany has announced that it will grant 200,000 visas for skilled job seekers by the end of the year, a 10 per cent jump compared to last year. Europe’s largest economy continues to face chronic labour shortages, with around 1.34 million jobs currently vacant. Berlin last year adopted a points-based system, which makes it easier for professionals and university graduates to enter the country, study, and search for work. Skilled workers from non-European Union states are now allowed to enter Germany without first having their qualifications recognized. The decision came a year after immigration rules were eased to boost the labour market.