Germany: crafts trades’ federations and IG Metall discuss the implementation of refugee occupational integration

380,000 refugees waiting for jobs integration. Germany’s economy is doing well, yet nevertheless it has to tackle the issue of integrating refugees into the jobs market, because a significant proportion of refugees into Germany never actually leave. The integration process based on language acquisition and then on occupational learning is necessarily a lengthy one. “We can’t expect too much”, explained Detlef Scheele, a board member of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), continuing, “when everything is going well, 10% of refugees manage to get a job after a year, 50% after five years and 70% after fifteen years.” Currently, the BA has calculated that there are roughly 380,000 refugees of working age ready to integrate, and they are mainly in the younger cohorts, “Under the age of 35 and the chances of learning a profession or trade are very good,” explained Detlef Scheele. Language experts estimate that it is tough to get a foreigner up to Language Level B1 (the minimum needed to function adequately in a professional capacity) in under a year.
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s and 70% after fifteen years.” Currently, the BA has calculated that there are roughly 380,000 refugees of working age ready to integrate, and they are mainly in the younger cohorts, “Under the age of 35 and the chances of learning a profession or trade are very good,” explained Detlef Scheele. Language experts estimate that it is tough to get a foreigner up to Language Level B1 (the minimum needed to function adequately in a professional capacity) in under a year.

An ‘integration year’ under d

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