Despite the increasingly difficult labor market, the employment of refugees from Ukraine and other important countries of origin of asylum seekers in Germany is increasing.
Daniel Terzenbach, the federal government’s special representative for the labor market integration of refugees, said in an interview with the dpa that the so-called “job turbo” that started at the end of last year is beginning to take effect.
The job turbo is intended to help fill vacancies with refugees and accelerate their integration into the labor market.
“We see that the job turbo is going in the right direction the more intensively we work with people – even if the economy is currently bad,” he said.
“In March 2023 we placed around 2,500 Ukrainians, and in March 2024 there were well over 5,000,” said Terzenbach. “Although we have over 170,000 more unemployed people than in the same month last year, employment among Ukrainians is increasing significantly.”
Employment from the eight countries of origin of the asylum seekers – especially Syria and Afghanistan – has also increased, he added.
In March, 13,076 people from this group entered the primary labor market. In March 2023 there were only 11,155 – with an overall labor market that was even more favorable.
“The refugees who came to Germany in 2015 and 2016 as part of the first refugee movement are integrated into the labor market above average, even in international comparison. There has been a lot of work integration,” said Terzenbach.
According to the official, around 70% of men from Syria are employed, but there is still “some catching up to do” when it comes to integrating women.
In the future, Terzenbach wants to accelerate access to the labor market for well-educated refugees and asylum seekers.
He emphasized the importance of continuous language support and qualification, especially with regard to the shortage of skilled workers.
“When refugees take up work, you cannot stop promoting language skills and investing in training. In the past, we often stopped supporting people in any way after they were hired,” he said.
For example, a doctor from Ukraine could initially work in a hospital without a German license and carry out important ancillary work – before later receiving his license to practice medicine in Germany. Similar opportunities also exist in other professions.
From his previous work with refugees, Terzenbach has learned that the job center works much more closely with the community.
“We now know how important it is to involve interest groups such as migration associations, welfare associations and voluntary structures much more closely in labor market integration,” he said.
“We need to be more present on social media channels, for example to counteract disinformation.”