Labor market integration, Frankfurt

Refugees in Germany face many hurdles when entering the German labor market. According to the German Federal Employment Agency, the employment rate of workers from non-European asylum origin countries (e.g., Syria and Afghanistan) was 32.4 % in 2019. The Corona pandemic further worsened this situation in 2020. The Institute for Employment Research (IAB) argues that the chances of successful integration for younger refugees, i.e., up to a maximum age of 30, are ‘relatively’ high due to good access to the German education and training system. In practice, however, young refugees initially need a lot of time to find suitable offers, understand more about the job requirements and prepare a promising application. For refugees over the age of 30, the situation is even more complex. With an academic education and/or professional experience acquired in their country of origin, even medium- to highly-qualified refugees often do not find access to the labor market.

To tackle this problem, help alliance, together with its partner organization jobs4refugees, supports refugees on their way into employment. jobs4refugees connects companies and refugees by preparing refugees for a career start through targeted workshops, mentoring and coaching, and introducing them to the cooperating companies. Throughout the application and hiring process, the organization supports both sides and remains in contact with the refugees even after they have started their career.

The target group of the project are refugees in Germany who are looking for an internship or a job.

The goal of the project is to systematically reduce the barriers to employment of refugees through active support and coaching. The overall goal is to enable them to successfully enter the German labor market, to improve their chances of integration in the society in general and to be able to lead a self-determined life independent of state support. In addition, the project promote positive thinking and self-confidence of the participants.

Through communication training, the refugees learn how to prepare for a job interview and how to highlight and communicate their skills and personal strengths. In job application workshops, volunteers help the refugees prepare authentic, convincing application documents and send them for current job offers. In individual coaching sessions, the project supports the participants in obtaining a realistic and goal-oriented assessment of their own skills and chances on the German labor market and, based on this, suggests suitable offers, i.e. jobs, traineeships, internships and vocational trainings.

With your support, you contribute to the successful integration of refugees into the German labor market and society.