Employment increases with length of stay

While few refugees are employed shortly after arriving in Germany, after eight years, 67 percent are employed. There are major differences between men and women: The rate for men is 86 percent, which is even higher than the average rate for the male population in Germany (81 percent). For female refugees, on the other hand, it is 33%.

Overall, refugees often face major challenges when integrating into the labor market, for example due to employment bans or restrictions on their choice of place of residence and freedom of movement. Analyses based on study data from “Living in Germany” show that removing these obstacles promotes employment: An acceleration of asylum procedures and a gradual reduction in the time limits for employment bans go hand in hand with an increase in employment rates.

Further information

Herbert Brücker, Philipp Jaschke, Yuliya Kosyakova & Ehsan Vallizadeh (2023): Entwicklung der Arbeitsmarktintegration seit Ankunft in Deutschland: Erwerbstätigkeit und Löhne von Geflüchteten steigen deutlich. IAB-Kurzbericht 13/2023 (in German).

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