Labor market inclusion of refugees in Germany: From national policies to local responses

Yenigun, Ozge

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120559 Copy

Description

Title

Labor market inclusion of refugees in Germany: From national policies to local responses

Author(s)

Yenigun, Ozge

Issue Date

2023-04-27

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Doussard, Marc

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Doussard, Marc

Committee Member(s)

• Miraftab, Faranak
• Kourtikakis, Kostas
• Theodore, Nik

Department of Study

Urban & Regional Planning

Discipline

Regional Planning

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

Refugees, labor market, asylum seekers, cities, integration, inclusion, labor market integration

Abstract

Employment is often considered a major pathway to dealing with severe economic hardship and social deprivation that refugees face in the process of adjusting to a new place and a society (Mencutek & Nashwan, 2020). Being able to work help refugees financially sustain themselves and facilitate their economic and social inclusion. It also enables newcomers to apply their experiences, skills, and knowledge in the labor market (European Commission, 2018). This is not only key to promoting refugees’ improved well-being and progress towards self-reliance, but also to supporting their contributions to national and local economies. Accessing the labor market and being employed in decent jobs, however, is not a smooth process for many refugees, as they face a range of barriers that prevent them from doing that, including language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles they face during work permit procedures or recognition of foreign qualifications, racism and discrimination and limited access to training and education. My dissertation investigates the role of host communities (local organizations, policies, local political, economic, social factors) in the economic inclusion of refugees and enhancing their contributions to local economies. This study provides essential insights into barriers to refugees’ labor market inclusion and explores the potential of cities to ensure refugees’ participation in local labor markets and allow them to use their skills, knowledge and experiences in the economy. I answer the following questions to explore support mechanism available to refugees in three German cities, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich from a comparative perspective: How do policies and integration instruments affect refugees labor market access and participation? How do employer practices shape refugees’ employment experiences? How do integration approaches and measures differ by city? How is civil society involved in refugees’ labor market inclusion? Beyond refugees’ labor market access, I explore how refugees’ employment experiences are shaped by employer practices, local economic factors, and types of support mechanisms provided by local organizations. Investigating their employment experiences help to better understand refugees’ potential and ability to deal with unfair labor practice, work under decent working conditions and with fair wages, access to jobs that match with their skills and qualifications and move upward in the labor market. To address these questions, I conducted remote fieldwork from September 2020 to December 2021 in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. I draw on 70 semi-structured in-depth interviews I gathered from 64 participants, including but not limited to German government agencies, such as state-level migration and integration departments, municipalities, local job centers and employment agencies, civil society organizations, and refugees in three cities. I supplemented my interview data with a content analysis of local integration documents and organizational websites. The results show that 1) Refugees’ labor market inclusion in Germany is characterized by labor market segmentation and precarity. 2) The federal government’s differential approach to refugees’ labor market inclusion is largely contested at the local level, where many civil society organizations and other local actors provide services or offer targeted support for groups who do not have access to the labor market and state-sponsored integration measures. 3) Although local governments can shape the direction of the inclusion process by setting their own priorities and developing varying types of support measures, their efforts are restricted by the migration and integration policies and funding that are steered by the federal government. 4) The efforts of local organizations are also limited by the bureaucratic hurdles as well as structural racism and labor market segmentation which has traditionally placed marginalized groups, including refugees into jobs that pay low wages and offer poor working conditions. This study produces important implications for urban policy and planning. 1) It shows the critical role that cities can play in addressing barriers to refugees’ labor market inclusion at the local level, unlocking the potential contributions of refugees to local economies and enabling them to become self-reliant. 2) It illuminates how employer practices, local economic factors and local integration programs can shape refugees’ employer practices. 3) It emphasizes the need for federal level policy changes that would allow local actors to develop more targeted responses to refugees’ employment-related needs and problems. I conclude by calling for 1) action at the federal level and changes in national legislation that facilitate refugees’ labor market inclusion. 2) A mutual work and collaboration among different actors, including government agencies, private sector actors, unions, professional organizations, and civil society organizations to help refugees deal with a range of barriers that prevent them from accessing the labor market and working in decent jobs.

Graduation Semester

2023-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Ozge Yenigun

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