Abstract
The topic of this thesis is the labor market integration of well-educated refugees in Germany. The EU has experienced the biggest refugee wave since decades and the integration of the refugees into the societies of the member states is a big challenge. The most important factor for successful integration is employment. A lot of the refugees are well-educated and offer a great potential for the labor market. However, only 12.5% of the refugees have already started working and that poses the question what issues the well-educated refugees are facing when they are searching for a job. The issue is complex given the fact that not only the refugees play a role in the successful integration but also the companies and the government, which determines the legal regulations. This thesis aims to identify problems during the labor market entry and offer possible solutions to those problems.
In order to get an insight into the issues, seven interviews with well-educated refugees, who are in different stages of the labor market integration, were conducted. Moreover, two interviews with employees of companies that hired refugees are used and one interview with an employee of the job agency who works with refugees every day. Moreover, relevant statistics and articles are used to support the analysis with official numbers and legal regulations. Relevant theories about integration, multiculturalism and intercultural teamwork are applied. Furthermore, theory about stereotyping, administrational issues and the requirements for job market integration of refugees are used for the analysis.
The investigation confirmed that there are many problems in the job market integration. There are many legal barriers, which hinder the refugees to find work, and the collaboration in diverse teams also causes issues for the companies, since verbal and non-verbal communication problems are common. Furthermore, discrimination in the hiring process was revealed and also problems with the language acquisition, which hinder the overall integration process. However, the overall integration and language level of the refugees is fairly high. Moreover, the analysis illustrated that there are companies willing to support refugees, and that the recognition of the qualifications of the refugees is much higher than expected. The results of this thesis are not generalizable since the interviews were very limited in number. However, the findings imply that the labor market integration of refugees could be improved through more extensive language training and more initiatives, which bring refugees and Germans together so they can practice the language and learn about each other’s culture. Furthermore, the companies should be able to access training for diversity management and the amount of bureaucracy should be decreased so that it is easier for refugees to find a job.