The economy is currently weak
“Job turbo” for Ukraine refugees doesn’t work
February 2, 2024, 7:35 a.m
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Germany is accepting large numbers of refugees from Ukraine. Employers are also hoping for a boost to the economy. This definitely exists due to the large number of workers. However, he is becoming increasingly lame. This is less due to the refugees.
A good three months after the start of the “job turbo” to speed up the integration of refugees into the labor market, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) can hardly see any visible success among Ukrainians, according to a media report. The rate of departure of Ukrainian women from unemployment into employment in January, at an annual average of 1.2 percent, was even lower than a year ago at 1.7 percent, reports the “Rheinische Post”, citing a BA report.
The rate among Ukrainian men also fell, from 3.4 in January 2023 to 2.4 percent in January 2024. The figures come from the Federal Agency’s current situation report on the labor market situation for refugees.
The BA special representative for the “job turbo”, Daniel Terzenbach, cited the worsening economy as a main cause, which is currently making new hires more difficult. “The overall number of unemployed people increased by almost 200,000 in January compared to the previous year,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. “It’s positive to see that unemployment among the weakest group on the labor market – and that includes refugees without fluent German skills – does not increase noticeably.”
There is a problem with child care
68 percent of refugees from Ukraine are women, Terzenbach added. “One in three women from Ukraine is a single parent, and many find it very difficult to find childcare options. This is why their integration into the labor market is often more difficult than for male refugees.”
“We currently have around 2.4 million refugees of working age in Germany, around 840,000 of whom are from Ukraine,” the BA board member continued. “A total of 750,000 refugees are already in employment subject to social security contributions, around 170,000 from Ukraine alone. So things are going in the right direction.”
“The job boost starts with those who don’t yet have a job,” Terzenbach continued. “There are around 500,000 people from Ukraine and a further 600,000 from the other eight largest countries of origin for asylum.”