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Labour Market Integration of Syrian Refugees in Germany and Turkey : Challenges and Prospects
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Okyay, Selin Okyay, Asli Selin |
| Copyright Year | 2017 |
| Abstract | While the timing and the magnitude of refugee inflows that Germany and Turkey have faced differ, both countries received substantial refugee populations and now host the largest number of Syrian refugees in their respective regions. Now that it is clear that prospects of return in the near future are dim for the majority of refugees, the two countries face similar challenges in fostering the inclusion of refugees into their societies, economies and polities. This paper examines the ways in which the two states have adjusted their respective legal, political, and institutional frameworks so as to facilitate refugees' access to employment and their participation in the labour market, identifies some preliminary outcomes, and draws lessons for meeting pending challenges. Introduction Germany and Turkey share a position as countries that host the largest number of Syrian refugees1 in their respective regions. However, the timing and the magnitude of refugee inflows that the two countries have faced, as well as their legal and political responses to the issues of reception and longer term integration, differ considerably. Other significant differences with important implications for refugee integration frameworks can also be observed in the financial capacities of the two countries, the condition of their labour markets, and state organization (i.e., federalist versus centralized systems). At the same time, it is now clear that prospects of return in the near future are dim for the majority of refugees in both contexts. Thus, both states and societies should prepare for the long-term or permanent stay of these populations. Therefore, the two countries also face similar challenges in fostering the inclusion and longer term integration of refugees into their societies, economies and polities, and hence they can potentially learn from each other's experience while planning for the future. Refugee integration is a comprehensive and challenging task with many different and often interconnected dimensions: from providing emergency shelter and longer term housing to enabling access to health care; or from including children in public education schemes * Asli Selin Okyay is Senior Fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). 1 For the sake of simplicity, this paper refers to Syrian nationals who are entitled to international protection in Turkey and Germany as 'refugees', even though the forms of international protection they receive in the two contexts differ. The difference is explained with more detail in Section 2. to facilitating adults' initial access to employment and participation in the labour market. This paper focuses on the latter dimension, as it is one of the most challenging and key areas and impacts on other aspects of integration, with long-term effects. It is also a timely question to be given further thought based on an assessment of the experiences in the two contexts, because both states could be considered as being at relatively early stages of developing their labour market integration frameworks. Research based on experiences of OECD countries suggests that “humanitarian migrants” have particular difficulties in entering the labour market owing to many factors, including (often traumatic) experiences of migration and the lack of demonstrable and/or easily transferable skills and educational attainments, while they also tend to face higher barriers in accessing employment compared to other types of migrants.2 While research on labour market outcomes of refugees is far from developed, existing scholarship shows that this specific group of migrants tends to fare worse in terms of unemployment rates and to suffer more from skill mismatch and over-qualification compared to not only the native populations, but also other types of migrants.3 Thus, while potentially being demanding and costly in the short term, the provision of appropriate, timely and targeted labour market integration assistance is crucial for avoiding bigger long-term societal, economic and political costs. Systematically assessing previous skills and educational attainments, facilitating the acquisition of the host country language as well as the development of vocational skills are essential for refugees' participation in the labour market. However, providing the legal/ political framework and practical assistance schemes that facilitate early access to employment for refugees (and in cases of lengthy refugee status determination processes, also for asylum-seekers) is considered to be key to more successful outcomes in the longer term.4 Having received substantial and relatively young refugee populations with linguistic differences in a rather short period of time, how have authorities in Turkey and Germany dealt with these multi-dimensional challenges? 2 OECD, Making Integration Work. Refugees and Others in Need of Protection, Paris, OECD, January 2016, http://dx.doi. org/10.1787/9789264251236-en. 3 For a recent review of the literature, see Sona Kalantaryan, “The Labour-Market Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers as a Special Category of Migrants: Evidence and Literature Review”, in Iván Martín et al., From Refugees to Workers. Mapping Labour-Market Integration Support Measures for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in EU Member States, Volume II: Literature Review and Country Case Studies, Gütersloh, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Migration Policy Centre, 2016, p. 11-25, http://dx.doi.org/10.11586/2016003. 4 Iván Martín et al., From Refugees to Workers. Mapping LabourMarket Integration Support Measures for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in EU Member States, Volume I: Comparative Analysis and Policy Findings, Gütersloh, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Migration Policy Centre, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.11586/2016002; OECD, Making Integration Work, cit. What do the initial outcomes look like? What are the lessons to be learnt? Trying to answer these questions, the following pages will: (1) provide background information on the Syrian refugee population in the two countries; (2) examine how the two states adapted their legal framework regarding refugees' entry into the labour market; (3) look at the provision of assistance facilitating refugees' entry into the labour market; (4) discuss preliminary outcomes; and (5) draw lessons from both cases with a view to providing some insights for meeting pending challenges. 1. Syrian refugee populations in Turkey and Germany: Admission patterns and socio-demographic structure Turkey started to admit Syrian nationals fleeing the conflict as early as April 2011, and continued to allow their entry in a rather liberal fashion until 2016 through its “open door policy”. This liberal admission policy, apart from being informed by humanitarian sensitivities, was also largely based on the authorities' expectation that the Syrian conflict would come to an end in a much shorter time span. However, the number of Syrian refugees increased from 1.5 million in 2014 to 2.5 million in 2015, and to 2.8 million in 2016; currently the total number is 3,028,226.5 Together with those whose registration has not yet been completed, the total number of Syrian refugees is estimated to be around 3.2 million.6 This makes Turkey the country that shelters the greatest number of (Syrian) refugees not only in its region, but also in the world. Hence, it should be acknowledged that the sheer size of the population implies a greater challenge in terms of policy development and implementation, as well as assistance provision for Turkey. In comparison, the bulk of asylum-seekers, mainly but not only from Syria, were admitted to Germany over 2015 and 2016, at a period when it was rather clear that the prospects for an end to the civil war in Syria in the foreseeable future were dim. The government's unilateral suspension of the Dublin regulation for Syrian nationals at the peak of the 2015 refugee movements towards EU countries played a significant role in making Germany the member state that received the highest number of asylum-seekers. The majority of asylum-seekers (890,000) were admitted in 2015,7 whereas the number dropped to 280,000 in 5 Numbers as of 1 June 2017. Republic of Turkey Ministry of Interior Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM): Migration Statistics: Temporary Protection, http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/ temporary-protection_915_1024_4748_icerik. 6 M. Murat Erdoğan, Urban Refugees from “Detachment” to “Harmonization”. Syrian Refugees and Process Management of Municipalities: The Case of Istanbul, Istanbul, Marmara Belediyeler Birliği Kültür Yayınları, January 2017, p. 16, http://marmara.gov. tr/UserFiles/Attachments/2017/05/09/5c68e8fe-6a35-4411-88f12f685bf4b1da.pdf. 7 Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Migration Report 2015: Central Conclusions, 14 December 2016, http://www.bamf. WORKING PAPER 18 3 June 2017 2016.8 A total of 1,164,269 first-time asylum applications were filed over 2015 (441,899) and 2016 (722,370). With 424,907 applications over two years, Syrian nationals constituted the biggest group (36.5 percent) among all asylum-seekers.9 Even if the magnitude of arrivals caught Germany somewhat off guard, the authorities were well aware of the long-term nature of the refugees' stay already before their admission, as demonstrated by the memo sent by the Federal Office of Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, BAMF) to the Ministry of Interior in early August 2015, stating that Syrian refugees in the immediate region “had 'completely given' up all hope of returning”.10 Refugee populations in both countries can be considered as relatively young, and thus have the bulk of their working life ahead of them, a factor further enhancing the importance of labour market integration measures. In Turkey, the share of Syrian refugees under 18 is 45.8 percent, whereas 60.8 percent of the population is within the legal working age range (15–64).11 In Germany, 31.1 percent of th |
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| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
