Dilara Wiemann

Dilara Wiemann is currently pursuing a PhD in economics at the University of Siegen and working as a research associate at the university’s Centre for Economic Education. Her research lies at the intersection of applied economics, institutions, education, and labor markets. Her doctoral research uses field experiments to study discrimination and institutional frictions in educational and labor-market transitions, with a particular focus on vocational training and the transition from secondary school to higher education. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Witten/Herdecke University and a master’s degree in Economics from Philipps University Marburg. Dilara has held multiple scholarships from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, both currently as a doctoral student and previously as an undergraduate student.

“Misallocated Talent? Skilled Labor Mobility and Institutional Barriers between Germany and Turkey”

Sixty-five years after the German–Turkish Recruitment Agreement, both countries find themselves at another critical juncture in their bilateral relations: Germany is seeking qualified workers, while many highly educated Turkish graduates are looking for opportunities abroad. Current policy responses focus primarily on facilitating mobility, yet they largely overlook how labor markets absorb and evaluate foreign talent in practice.

This project examines whether institutional barriers hinder the cross-border hiring of highly skilled workers—specifically, whether German employers fully recognize Turkish qualifications and how

such recognition shapes hiring outcomes. It combines a correspondence experiment in the German labor market with surveys and interviews among Turkish graduates and institutional stakeholders in Turkey. The findings aim to inform the design of more effective German–Turkish and EU-level mobility frameworks, particularly in the areas of credential recognition and employer engagement.