| Three out of four employers globally face difficulties in filling job openings, according to a 2024 Manpower Group study. So to attract new talent and counter aging populations, many countries are liberalizing their visa regimes. In South Africa, the new government announced plans to reform its visa rules to end a backlog of thousands of applications. While unemployment stands at 33%, a lack of skilled workers threatens expansion plans of foreign investors such as Volkswagen. "This country's economy will never grow if we don't open our doors to people who want to lawfully come here and make a contribution and help us get on track," Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber said. With a population of 1.4 billion, India has a lot of domestic talent. But the government is looking for a specific type of skilled worker: Chinese engineers and technicians, who are needed to install machines and train Indian workers. The government is finalizing rules to fast-track visas for Chinese engineers. South Korea has its own challenges with a shrinking and aging population. But the government has some creative ideas to counteract this trend: It is not only planning visa reforms, but other policies designed to increase the world's lowest fertility rate. Short-Term Only Other countries are looking for short-term visitors who help boost trade in services — tourists. China introduced a 15-day visa exemption for citizens of Australia, New Zealand and Poland and pledged similar exemptions with Malaysia. Read More: Thailand Seeks to Reverse Brain Drain With Five-Year Tax Breaks Trips to China by foreigners rose by 153% in the first half of 2024 from the year-earlier period, with more than half of the guests traveling under visa-free rules. Thailand came up with one of the most far-reaching moves when granting visa-free entry for citizens from an additional 36 countries and territories, increasing the number of visa-free entries to 93 countries and territories starting July 15. Visitors are allowed to stay for up to 60 days, while another visa category for digital nomads — that is, vacationers who can also work from a holiday location — allows 180-day stays. Balancing Act In some countries where immigration was long seen as the solution to demographic shortcomings, some visa-easing plans have been met with what economists might call absorption constraints. - Canada's government is reviewing how many long-term visas it grants to foreign students.
- Australia raised fees on student visa applications to slow migration.
- Portugal plans to tighten immigration rules facing a backlog of more than 400,000 visa inquiries.
- Singapore's government introduced a new points-based system and minimum salary threshold requirement which will come in effect in September.
—Marilen Martin in Frankfurt Click here for more of Bloomberg.com's most-read stories about trade, supply chains and shipping. | 
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