Labor market: The majority of Syrians get Hartz IV

Almost two thirds of all working Syrians in Germany live wholly or partially from Hartz IV. At 65 percent, the proportion of recipients of state support among immigrants from Syria in March of this year was significantly higher than among foreigners from other main countries of origin of asylum seekers such as Somalia or Afghanistan. According to statistics from the Federal Employment Agency, 37.1 percent of Somalis of working age received Hartz IV benefits during the same period. Among the Afghans, the proportion was 43.7 percent.

The statistics of the Federal Agency refer to the central register of foreigners.

Not only asylum seekers are registered there, but all people living in Germany who are citizens of another country.

However, the majority of Syrian citizens came here as asylum seekers.

Some of the people who previously immigrated from Syria are now also German citizens.

After all: The proportion of beneficiaries among the working-age Syrians has decreased compared to the same month last year.

In March 2020 it was almost 70 percent.

According to the German Medical Association, Syrians now make up the largest group among foreign doctors.

Last year, 4,970 Syrian doctors were employed in Germany.

Unemployment rate in the first few years of residence is always particularly high

"The figures from the Federal Employment Agency show that we still have a lot ahead of us in the area of ​​integration," said the domestic political spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Mathias Middelberg, of the German press agency.

The high proportion of Syrian beneficiaries is "remarkable in view of the high protection rate and the comparatively good prospect of staying".

The assumption that a secure status leads to faster integration into the labor market does not seem to be confirmed here.

"Instead of providing incentives for low and unskilled immigration, as the Greens want, we must therefore concentrate on those already living here entitled to protection and intensify our efforts, particularly in the area of ​​labor market integration," said the CDU politician.

In April 2021, according to the Federal Agency, 27.4 percent of Syrians of working age, 46.8 percent of all foreigners and 63.1 percent of Germans were employed subject to social security contributions. Those who attend an integration course or a professional language course are not counted as unemployed, but as "underemployed". Hartz IV also receives those who earn so little that they cannot earn a living from it alone.

According to a study by the employment agency from last year, the relatively high proportion of benefit recipients is due, among other things, to the often lacking formal qualifications of refugees as well as employment in areas with “lower wages”. A good quarter of the refugees have attended universities or vocational training institutions and 16 percent have a degree. Four fifths of the population born in Germany have professional or academic qualifications.

"In general, one can say that the unemployment rate among refugees is always particularly high in the first few years of residence," said Panu Poutvaara, member of the Advisory Council on Integration and Migration. Since 2015, no other country has come to Germany as many asylum seekers as from Syria. This means that refugees who come from there often stay in the Federal Republic for a shorter period of time than refugees of other nationalities. This partly explains why refugees with shorter stays make up a higher proportion of recipients of state aid.

The fact that the proportion of employees among the refugees from Syria is lower may also have something to do with the relatively high proportion of women in this group. Around 40 percent of Syrian refugees are female. Many Syrian women have followed suit and have therefore not been in the country long. Often they are not available to the labor market because they are looking after small children. Cultural reasons could also play a role here.

Poutvaara, who heads the Ifo Center for Migration Research, is convinced: “The proportion of Syrian refugees who receive state aid is expected to continue to decline in the coming years - even if the corona pandemic temporarily had extremely negative effects on their employment opportunities. “Since there are very few refugees in employment in which work can be done from home, they are more affected by the restrictions associated with the pandemic than the general population.