Almost 40% of refugees in Germany have managed to find official employment
As reported by "Russkaya Germaniya" citing data from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), about 400,000 refugees in Germany are officially employed. IAB researchers are "quite satisfied" with these figures, considering that the initial conditions for refugees arriving from Arab countries are "particularly difficult," partly because native Arabic speakers find learning German much harder than, for example, those from Balkan countries who previously immigrated to Germany seeking refuge from the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
The Institute for Employment Research clarifies that currently about 36% of refugees aged 15 to 64 are already employed or are finding jobs. The total number of such people is approximately 400,000. This was officially stated by the head of the Department for Migration, Integration, and International Labor Market at IAB.
"I expect that by autumn, about 40% of working-age refugees will already be working. This would make labor market integration about a year faster than during previous refugee movements to Germany," he noted.
However, it should not be forgotten that many immigrants work in temporary positions and can only count on relatively low wages.
"Furthermore, there is a high proportion of refugees employed in the gastronomy, security, cleaning, construction, and care sectors – at the lowest pay rates," the Department for Migration, Integration, and International Labor Market at IAB reports.
At the same time, according to the expert, about half of the refugees hold positions requiring a certain level of qualification, in some cases quite high. For example, some have managed to become doctors. According to researchers, highly qualified positions are held by about 8% of refugees.
"This is a surprisingly high figure, considering that only one in five refugees had professional qualifications or higher education before leaving their country," emphasizes the head of the department.
This positive trend not only significantly affects the quality of life of immigrants but also plays a significant role in integrating refugees into society, as well as opening up new opportunities for raising their cultural and intellectual level.
Integration Commissioner Annette Widmann-Mauz noted: "Education and employment are crucial for integration. This means not only earning a living but also social cohesion and contact. This also serves the interests of society as a whole, because our economy desperately needs skilled workers," Widmann-Mauz is convinced.