BE NCP EMN Conference on Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection into the Labour Market, Brussels, 8 November 2016

Peter Van Costenoble presented on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection in Belgium. Support measures in this field are in Belgium competence of regions and communities while non-governmental organisations play also an important role. A significant pre-condition for participation in the labour market is access to affordable housing of which there is a shortage in Belgium. As an example of a good practice can be considered subsidized vocational and educational training programmes, compulsory language and orientation courses, flexible recognition of diplomas, individual learning programmes and access to social housing. Among biggest obstacles belong language barrier, low education level, demanding job requirements, emotional ballast, limited mobility and discrepancy between job opportunities and affordable housing options.

The situation in Germany, which recorded approximately one million of asylum seekers, was presented by Dirk Buchwald from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Currently, the biggest challenge is the decision making on asylum applications which also delays entry of beneficiaries of international protection to the labour market. The unemployment rate is rising, while according to the estimates only 8 % of beneficiaries of international protection enter the labour market after one year and 50 % of them after five years. At the same time, demand for language courses is rising while there is a shortage of teachers. Another challenge is a high number of refugees without qualifications which means that these persons will not be able to enter the labour market immediately. Integration into the labour market should be connected with the decision making on asylum and due to this the authorities focus on integration of persons who are eligible for international protection. Asylum seekers are divided into groups according to their age and qualifications. Integration is carried out in six steps: 1) an asylum application is processed in the reception center administered by BAMF and the asylum seeker is approached by employment services; 2) mandatory language course; 3) carrier consulting; 4 ) skills identification and profile building; 5) modular partial qualifications (which is currently under preparation in case refugees do not possess any formal qualification) and further training; 6) interconnected employers’ initiatives. Last but not least, cooperation with institutions on different levels is required including federal government as well as ministries, BAMF, local authorities, employers, trade unions etc. Germany is at the moment also dealing with the question of residence permits for self-employed. An advantage of the current situation is the request for modernization of the system.

Moniek Akerboom from the Leiden University introduced system of integration of beneficiaries of international protection in the Netherlands which implements a generic integration policy for all groups of foreigners. In order to improve the situation of beneficiaries of international protection, Dutch Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has recently set up a task force for labour and integration aiming at independence of the beneficiaries. After the refugees acquire a status, they are assisted to find accommodation and the participating municipality is obliged to reach certain quota depending on the number of inhabitants. It is important that there is a link between the refugee’s profile, the need of the municipality and the need of the labour market. Similarly as in other Member States, there is also a shortage of housing options in the Netherlands. After the period of two years, refugees have to find a long-term housing. Among alternative housing options belong for example a common accommodation with students or reconstructed school premises. If municipalities reach their quota, they are provided a certain type of support for administration. In case municipalities arrange long-term housing, they are provided subsidies. After three years, the beneficiaries have to take an exam which consists of language part and part on the Dutch history and traditions as well as job market orientation. The beneficiaries can take a loan (of up to 10 000 euro) which can be used to cover education and various courses. After the exam, they are also required to sign a statement that they want to be a part of the Dutch society, the so called “participation statement”. Beneficiaries of international protection are entitled to qualification assessment if they do not have any formal confirmation. A language barrier represents a great obstacle for their integration into the labour market.

According to the OECD analysis presented at the conference by Thomas Liebig, 2014 data shows that it takes approximately 10 years for beneficiaries of international protection to integrate into the labour market and it takes them 20 years in order to reach the level of the natives. In contrast to other Member States, beneficiaries of international protection in Belgium do not lag behind other third-country nationals. However, there are discrepancies between men and women. Sweden is an example that investment into education can bring positive results. According to the OECD report Making Integration Work, it is crucial to start with integration of asylum seekers as soon as possible, already during the asylum procedure, if there is a high probability that these persons will remain in the country. In Germany, a step wise approach is applied according to which asylum seekers have firstly limited access to the labour market three months after lodging their application and only later they can access it fully. In many cases, affordable housing is an important factor of the integration policy when it comes to refugees’ placement. However, where the jobs are, there is not enough housing and vice versa. Ideally, these policies should use skill assessment upfront and look at local labour market conditions and avoid segregation. There should be an upfront assessment of qualifications as is the case of Germany where the beneficiaries of international protection assess also informal qualifications. There is a large diversity among countries as regards the level of education of refugees. Besides, qualified persons are often undervalued due to different reasons e.g. difficult qualification assessment or missing documents. There should be a different path based on their qualifications, country of origin, etc. There should be more flexible duration of the integration programme. Among other best practices belong also targeted courses or on the job training. The integration of unaccompanied minors is six times more expensive than the integration of adults. Many of them arrive at the end of their compulsory education, and would like to start working immediately in order to support their family left behind in the country of origin. Low educated also constitute a large group and their education should be considered as an investment. Investment in parents might mean better integration conditions for their children. Investment means focusing on early intervention, i.e. already during asylum procedure, and pursuing policies which are not immediately with results. Currently, OECD is preparing assessment of the Canadian integration system ̶ what is to be learnt, how to engage the civil society, e.g. through mentorship programmes, as well as how to engage local community initiatives.

Maria Vincenza Desiderio from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) dealt firstly with the question why the refugees are disadvantaged. Apart from the fact that they face the same obstacles as other groups of foreigners, they also have less space for planning and selection of the country of destination and in addition, they face some specific difficulties. If they interrupt their integration paths, it is difficult for them to catch up. Trauma and health issues should also be considered. Besides, refugees tend to be more dependent. When making comparisons of EU integration systems with Canada and USA, it should be noted that refugees arrive to these two countries as resettled persons while in Europe they are asylum seekers. Their integration into the labour market is not just for the sake of employment, it is also for them not to be socially segregated. Depending on what kind of job a refugee has, also further integration measures arise. Involving employers in the alternative recognition procedure may improve trustworthiness as was observed in Germany and Sweden. Starting recognition of diplomas in the language refugees can understand should be carried out. Alternative education should be considered as it might be beneficial not just for refugees but also for elder persons. Some countries started with courses aimed at start-ups creation. An interesting approach is also setting up unconventional jobs such as in Thailand where a large group of Myanmar migrants live and due to this they work in hospitals as cultural mediators. In the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, refugees work as volunteers. Moreover, governments should support and encourage employers by cutting the red tape or facilitating access to secure resident status for asylum seekers.

Belinda Pyke from Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) emphasized that employment is a gateway to other integration aspects. There is a substantial change in the numbers of migrants coming to Europe with poorer outcomes in relation to the labour market, especially as for the refugees and especially women. One in four refugees is employed and it should be noted that if they had skills, they start losing them. The question is whether there should be longer programs or quicker ones. In 2015, European Commission focused on addressing high migration flows and asylum systems challenge but also regular migration was targeted, particularly the Blue Card Directive. In 2016, the Action Plan on Integration of Third-Country Nationals was launched including the integration of refugees. Recent migration situation caused that all departments are focused on migration and integration which in practice means new funding opportunities. Currently, a revision of the asylum legislation is being prepared. Formed period of nine months after which refugees were able to enter the labour market was reduced to six months. Apart from this, restrictions on certain types of jobs will be tackled. At the same time there should be sanctions if the integration process is avoided. When analyzing data and statistics, the European Commission closely cooperates with OECD and EMN, especially in the field of integration of refugees on the labour market or the fiscal impact.

This article was elaborated based on the available conference material and reports. More information about the conference as well as presentations are available at the Belgian EMN NCP website.