While the number of officially recorded asylum seekers topped the one million mark at the start of December, debate continues unabated in Germany over refugees’ job prospects as well as over the impact of the influx of refugees on unemployment. Revising earlier forecasts upwards, Andrea Nahles, Minister for Social Affairs and Labor estimated that around 35% of refugees with residency rights might well find a job by 2016. Without providing any actual numbers, on 08 December, the DIHK launched a nationwide action program aimed at coalescing and supporting the various initiatives already undertaken by the 79 separate chambers of industry and commerce aimed at facilitating refugees’ inclusion into Germany’s labor market.
‘Speed Dating Cook & Eat’. On 01 December a very special ‘Speed Dating’ evening took place in the vast kitchens of the building housing the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Berlin). Ten refugees with catering experience cooked together with ten restaurateurs and hoteliers in a specially themed evening. “This project called ‘Cook & Eat’ has been a great success and shows our desire to put refugees whose skills and qualifications we know into contact with businesses seeking those skills,” explained Thilo Pahl, Head of initial and continuous training at the Berlin IHK, specifically to Planet Labor during a meeting with the foreign press.
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