The Labor Minister wants to ignite a “job turbo” for refugees. From the perspective of the Association of Cities, the prerequisites must first be created.
In view of the “job turbo” for refugees announced by the federal government, the German Association of Cities has called for better equipment in job centers. Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had announced that he wanted to get hundreds of thousands of refugees with the prospect of staying in work more quickly.
City Council general manager Helmut Dedy told the German Press Agency: “An integration turbo for refugees and austerity policies at job centers do not go together.” If refugees with citizen’s money are to present themselves at the job centers every six weeks in the future, as planned, it is clear: “The job centers need better personnel and financial resources.” In recent years, more and more savings have been made at job centers. “Qualification and further training offers have been cut,” said Dedy.
Approach good for integration
The approach of getting refugees into work more quickly is exactly the right thing to do. This is good for integration and can counteract the shortage of skilled workers.
Dedy emphasized that the job offensive should focus on all refugees with the prospect of staying – “and not just refugees from Ukraine and already recognized asylum seekers who receive citizen’s benefit.” Refugees who have been distributed among the municipalities and are likely to stay in Germany for a longer period of time should be able to start work as quickly as possible. “The recognition of professional degrees and professional qualifications from home countries must become much faster and less bureaucratic,” demanded Dedy.
Source: Stern
