Immigration, which usually symbolizes conflict, orientation, belief, death, starvation, illness and/or simply a search for a better life, is often not viewed as a pleasant word – especially for the countries which have experienced conflict. In the wake of the tragic series of events in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, Germany was flooded with mostly Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees and forced into providing them with accommodation, healthcare, education and other services.

Despite the competitive labor market in Germany, a large number of refugees, particularly those with professional backgrounds, are now employed, allowing them to not only charter a better future for themselves but also contribute to the German economy, also language courses and professional training helped them enter the workforce.

These refugees will soon integrate or some have already integrated, as they have already started to adopt the German way of life. The refugees that were interviewed said that they are learning to be able to work and compete in the German labor force, which is a green light towards integration into Germany’s society. An important component of the German law is providing training opportunities almost in all fields and at every level ranging from language acquisition to higher education so that the refugees to be integrated.

Federal Employment Agency is Germany’s largest service provider in the labor market. As a self governing public body, it independently carries out its functions within the framework of applicable legislation. It has a network of more than 700 agencies and branch offices nationwide.

Their most important tasks are job and training placement, career counseling and providing benefits replacing employment income such as unemployment benefit and insolvency payments. At a local level, the Employment Agencies are responsible for the implementation of the duties of the BA. Like the Regional Directorates they are controlled by an Executive Board.

The main duties of the Federal Employment Agency are:

Placement in training and the workplace, vocational guidance, employer counseling, promotion of vocational training, promotion of further training, promotion of professional integration of people with disabilities, benefits to retain and create workplaces and compensations for reduced income. An interesting report found that three-quarters of refugees eligible to work are men, with half of them are under 30. This means that they will constitute a significant portion of the workforce for many years to come which the young generation will play a prominent role in developing the society while marriage in Germany is in the lower level comparing to the past.

Ebrahim Dawar who has worked for Tamaja GmbH Company in Berlin for the past two years is an asylee from Afghanistan. Mr. Dawar is a good example of how refugees can make it in the German workforce. “Immigrating to Germany was the best decision of my life, I am safe here, no more violence and I enjoy my job and life here.” said Ebrahim Dawar.

The Deutsche Welle reports that according to Mr. Hans Peter Klaus, President of the Germany’s Economy Organization, a survey found that corporate executives’ trust in refugees and ethnic groups has increased. It shows that German employers trust refugees by offering to the refugees jobs so to be integrated in the society.

Industries in Germany understand that they need refugees or immigrants to fill in their job openings. In 2011, immigrants constituted 55 percent of the workforce of manufacturing companies and service providers.

Afghanistan’s refugees

Abdul Jabbar Ariayee, Afghanistan’s Deputy Ambassador to Berlin, says that a significant number of Afghan refugees are employed and contributes to the German economy. He also asked the German government to provide Afghan refugees with more education opportunities for their smother integration into the German society. Deputy Ambassador further notes, “Germany is a country of opportunities, I thank the German government for supporting my fellow Afghans.”

Most Afghans currently living in Germany built their careers in Iran as immigrants, which made it easier for them to get jobs in Germany given their prior work experience. Nearly 39% of all immigrants and refugees in Germany are employed. Experts say this trend which began couple of years ago will continue upward. Moreover, one of the surveys that the Germany’s Economy Organization conducted at the order of the Ministry of Family Affairs found that immigrants and refugees constitute 57 percent of the workforce of manufacturing companies throughout the country. Under the German law, refugees will be eligible to work three months after their arrival, if everything goes will.

Ali Tamo Hassan, an Iraqi refugee, has worked for “TANDEM” project since February 2017. He is happy with the job and life in Germany. His message to all refugees is “to work if you would like to live and enjoy a better life.” At the same time, Germany, one of the World’s largest economies and home to more than a million refugees, is planning to accelerate deporting thousands of refugees to their home countries.

When it comes to the supporting refugees, Germany and Sweden are the two European countries that received the majority of the refugees since the crisis. An investigative report shows that 10.9 percent of Germans are actively involved in helping refugees by donating food and clothes for them, supporting their accommodations and giving them rides to governmental institutions when necessary. A report by Spiegel Weekly also indicates that the German government is considering allocation of about 93 billion and six hundred million Euros to meet the needs of refugees until 2020.

Not to be unsaid that in the recent days, Germany deported the fourth group of Afghans involving 15 refugees to Kabul flying from Munich Airport. Germany’s interior Ministry said that of the 250,000 refugees who have sought asylum, 11,900 out of them are obliged to leave Germany, but 10,300 of them were granted tolerance visa “Duldung”.