A decade after the statement "We can do this": An expert affirms Merkel's assertion - "We've made substantial progress"
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In an interview with epd, Herbert Brücker, head of the research area "Migration, Integration, and International Labor Market Research" at the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg, discussed the integration of Syrian refugees in Germany since 2015.
Brücker highlighted that Syrian refugees have experienced a gradual but steady increase in employment rates, reflecting successful labor market integration over time. Initially, these refugees face challenges such as trauma from war and persecution, mismatches between their qualifications and German labor-market requirements, and institutional barriers like legal employment restrictions and lengthy asylum procedures.
However, their employment rates improve significantly with the length of stay. After about eight years in Germany, employment among refugees rises to approximately 68%, which aligns closely with the general population’s employment rate. For men, it can even surpass that of the general population after this period.
Brücker emphasized that employment integration can be accelerated through faster asylum processes, early and effective language training, removal of institutional barriers, enhanced job placement and integration efforts, and combating discrimination.
The current estimates show that Syrian refugees' employment rates have approached parity with other migrant groups and the general population within about eight years after arrival, demonstrating significant integration achievements despite initial obstacles.
Brücker also recommended considering labor market criteria in regional distribution to increase employment rates by three to five percentage points. He suggested immediate language courses and quick integration counseling for refugees to improve results further.
According to Brücker, Germany's strong economy up to 2019, sustainable integration strategies, and language and integration courses for many refugees are reasons for Germany's success in refugee integration. He also noted that around two-thirds of the mainly Syrian refugees are working, a rate only slightly lower than the German average.
Interestingly, only about ten percent of the 2015 refugees still live in communal accommodations. Brücker expressed a lack of empathy towards refugees who fled from war and persecution.
Brücker also supported Merkel's statement that Germany can handle the integration of refugees and stated that refugees who came to Germany under Merkel's chancellorship are better integrated than previous asylum seekers. He also mentioned that around 85% of refugees in 2015 received recognized protection status.
However, Brücker did not provide any information about the current situation or future prospects of refugee integration in Germany. He also did not discuss any challenges or issues related to refugee integration in Germany. Furthermore, he did not provide any specific data or statistics about the integration of refugees from other years or countries.
It is important to note that this article was partly created with machine assistance and carefully checked by the editorial team before publication. The views expressed by Brücker are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute for Employment Research or the German government.
References: 1. Brücker, H. (2020). "Labour market integration of refugees in Germany: Evidence from administrative data". IAB Discussion Paper 11/2020. Nuremberg: Institute for Employment Research.
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