Sub-project II: Pathways into the Labour Market

The sub-project ll aims to identify determinants of successful labour market entry for fugitives in Germany. Of particular interest is a broad survey among the residents of two large community accommodations in the Rhine-Neckar region in late summer 2016; the participants questioned again at the end of 2017/the beginning of 2018. Further measures of the sub-project focus on career guidance in the secondary level 1, on the integrative impact of a sports project as well as on the employer perspective.

Central results

It is shown that a longer period of education in the home country supports the integration into employment in the region. Further important factors for taking up employment are the country of origin, the costs and debts of flight and close connections to Germans.
The problem of firms is that hiring a refugee comes with substantial obstacles. In addition to possible deficits in German language skills, they are often not available for long-term planning due to the unfavourable prospects of staying in Germany.
Overall, there is still a great need for advice on the part of companies on the operational integration of fugitives.
Young refugees who are currently still attending school and are confronted with the challenge of vocational orientation can draw on an extensive and varied range of counselling services.
An important contribution to the social integration of refugees are integration methods by civil society, which focus on leisure activities such as sports.

Real-World Survey Among Refugees in the Rhine-Neckar Region

Survey among refugees in the main community shelters in Sinsheim and Wiesloch in 2016

Survey on education and employment history
Duration and costs of the escape
Health
Language test
Expectations regarding the life in Germany
Employment in the last week and reservation wage

Project partners

210 participants in Sinsheim, 160 in Wiesloch; eight women, 362 men

Preliminary results

Refugees from the Near East (Syria, Turkey) are the most educated (in years) and hold the highest educational qualifications.
Many refugees have debts of several thousand euros as a consequence of flight
Three-quarters of the refugees describe their state of health as subjectively good
12 per cent of the respondents have a paid employment (sometimes to a minor extent)

New Contacting of the Respondents at the End of 2017/Beginning of 2018

Short survey, current employment, need for support

Project partners

Immigration authorities of the cities of Sinsheim and Wiesloch

Preliminary results

About 25 per cent of the respondents were reached
Those contacted were more educated and had a higher probability of having an employment than at the time of the first survey
Employment rate in the second survey almost reached 40 per cent

Integrative Soccer Project “Heimstärke” and its Scientific Component

The aim of the cooperation was the causal examination of the learning and sports offer of HEIMSTÄRKE for newly arrived fugitives regarding improvements in the social, linguistic, and economic integration in Germany.

Project partners

Anpfiff ins Leben e.V.

Results

Indications of a better social integration of refugees
Great satisfaction among the attending young men with the project
Hopes that their participation will bring improvements for the job search

Career Guidance in the Secondary Level I/Survey Among Young Refugees Concerning Their Career Aspirations

Qualitative survey among experts of career guidance and orientation and among refugees in the secondary level I (in progress).
Questions about the influence of key actors on the career choices of young fugitives; standards and ideals in career guidance; career aspirations and prospects of young fugitives; general factors influencing the career choices of young fugitives.

Project Partners

Regional Education Office / Office for Schools and Education of the City of Heidelberg

Preliminary results

Personal and individual contacts are preferred to formal career orientation measures
Young refugees are most likely to approach informal contacts with questions concerning career choices – high value of trust (family and teachers in preparation classes)
Vocational training as a preferred educational goal

Dissertation Plans Essays on Empiric Economy about Criminality and Migration

In three empirical studies on the economics of immigration, Martin Lange examines in his dissertation how the latest wave of refugees affects the development of regional crime and violence against immigrants. The quantitative analyses are based on administrative crime and asylum data and contribute to the growing economic literature on the social effects of immigration. The knowledge gained in the Real-World Laboratory about the process of granting asylum and the distribution of asylum seekers will be incorporated into the dissertation.

Professional Employer Services Sinsheim und Wiesloch

From September 2017 until November 2018, the pilot project “Professional Employer Services” supported employers especially in Wiesloch and Sinsheim in integrating fugitives into their companies. The key question was what measures and support can be supplied in order to increase the willingness of small and medium-sized enterprises in particular to hire refugees; and how enterprises that already have employed refugees can be given optimal support.

Project partners

City of Sinsheim
City of Wiesloch
Federal Employment Agency

Planned support programmes should target relevant employment topics and accompany support structure already available, which is why a survey among 15 employers took place in form of a guideline-based interview between December 2017 and February 2018 in Sinsheim and Wiesloch. It was determined whether already existing support offers are known and whether these are used. Further, the survey asked whether there was need for more support structures. Based on the survey results and in consideration of the different available network and support structures of the municipalities, the following offers were being implemented.

Support programmes in Sinsheim and Wiesloch

Advisory service for employers and HR managers on all questions concerning the integration of fugitives into their company weekly in the town hall of Wiesloch, via phone or per e-mail for employers of both municipalities
Mentoring of individual enterprises in both municipalities, if individual requirements are needed
Support of employers and refugees through the provision training seminars (Sinsheim)
Provision of a guideline with reliable information concerning all aspects of the firm-integration of refugees for the specific municipality
Support for the implementation of workshops and events for more efficient networking of full-time and voluntary actors (Wiesloch)
Organisation of a job speed dating event to provide refugees with work as an initial event for an autonomous implementation of further events in the future in Wiesloch

Conclusion

Based on the different usage of the available support structures in both municipalities, in Sinsheim especially, offers for the continuing support of employers and refugees during the employment relationship were being made. At the beginning of the pilot project, similar offers were available through staff and volunteers. However, those were used less or were not known. As a consequence, the focus in Wiesloch was on informing and advising companies both on the opportunities and challenges of employing fugitives and on the existing support structure. In this context, network activities for more effective cooperation between full-time staff and volunteers in refugee work were given special attention.