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Almost a million Syrians live in Germany, around 30 percent of them work here. What consequences would it have for the labor market if they left Germany again?
Although much of the situation in the country is unclear following the fall of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, a discussion has already begun in this country about the future of Syrians in Germany. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, as of October 31, a total of 974,136 people of Syrian origin lived in the Federal Republic. Around a third have a job. What consequences would it have for the German labor market if they returned to their homeland if the political situation in Syria stabilized?
Number of employees increases
According to the Federal Employment Agency, a total of 222,610 people with Syrian nationality were employed in Germany subject to social security contributions in May 2024. This means, among other things, that they pay into health, pension and unemployment insurance. There are also around 65,000 mini-jobbers.
“The number of Syrians working in Germany has been increasing for years. We are observing that integration is making significant progress over time,” says labor market researcher Enzo Weber from the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB).
However, Syrians only make up a small part of the group of foreigners employed in the German labor market, as a look at the figures from the Federal Employment Agency shows: According to statistics, a total of 5,561,000 foreigners were in May of this year Germany is subject to social insurance contributions.
Men in particular are in the job
Particularly among women, the proportion of employees subject to social insurance contributions remains low: in May 2024, only 14 percent of women with Syrian citizenship worked in a job in which they also pay health, pension and unemployment insurance. Overall, the employment rate of Syrian citizens in Germany who have jobs subject to social security contributions was 32.7 percent in May 2024. This emerges from data from the Federal Employment Agency.
“Only a comparatively small proportion of adult Syrian citizens in Germany are currently employed as skilled workers and are thus making a contribution to closing the gaps in the labor market,” says Wido Geis-Thöne, an expert on migration issues from the German Economic Institute (IW). Cologne, looking at these numbers. “We currently have significantly more adult Syrian citizens receiving transfer benefits than in employment,” said Geis-Thöne tagesschau.de.
Complicated recognition of qualifications
According to the IW expert, this is partly because the integration of Syrians into the German labor market – compared to people from the new EU member states and the Western Balkan countries – is difficult. The language barrier can be a problem, as can the recognition of qualifications.
All of this has made progress over the years, emphasizes Enzo Weber in an interview tagesschau.de. Germany is now – almost ten years after the first wave of refugees – a pioneer across Europe when it comes to integrating Syrian refugees into the labor market.
Around 5,800 Syrian doctors in Germany
But in which sectors do the 222,610 people who are employed in this country subject to social security contributions work? “44 percent of Syrians in this country who are subject to social security contributions are employed as helpers, but 44 percent are also employed as skilled workers,” explains Weber. Most people from the civil war country are employed in Germany in the “transport, logistics, security” occupational group, but also in production or the service sector.
According to Weber, the other eleven percent of the Syrians employed here are employed “at even higher levels,” i.e. as specialists or experts. According to Weber, this also includes the approximately 5,800 Syrian doctors who work in Germany.
A return of these doctors to their homeland would worsen the shortages in the healthcare system. “If larger numbers of them leave Germany again, this will undoubtedly be noticeable in staffing levels,” says Gerald Gaß, CEO of the German Hospital Association (DKG), to Spiegel. Syrian doctors played an important role in maintaining medical care, especially in hospitals in smaller cities.
More possible Residence permit to employment
According to IAB expert Weber, the proportion of people from Syria among the total number of employees in almost all professional groups is less than one percent. If they returned to the country, in his view the German labor market would “not bleed dry.” Experiences from other refugee movements also showed that many wanted to stay. However, in Germany there is a shortage of skilled workers and a general shortage of personnel in practically all sectors.
So it would have consequences for the labor market if Syrian employees with temporary residence permits were to leave the country. “However, it would be assumed that if their previous residence permits were revoked, the people concerned would be given the opportunity to apply for residence permits for gainful employment, which would greatly cushion the negative effect,” says Wido Geis-Thöne from the IW.
Enzo Weber points out another aspect: with the experience and qualifications from Germany, Syrians could make valuable contributions to the reconstruction of their country – and in the future they could be important contacts for German concerns in the region.