Peine: 850 S refugio underground – SPD warns of high costs!

Peine: 850 S refugio underground – SPD warns of high costs!

An exciting project could be underway in Peine: the district there is planning to recruit 850 asylum seekers for “non-profit” tasks. At first glance, this sounds like a win-win situation – the refugees could be integrated through their work, while the community benefits from additional support in areas such as food banks and environmental protection. But not everyone agrees with this decision. The SPD district administrator Henning Heiß points out that the vote on this project was influenced by the boycott of seven members of the SPD and the Greens, who did not take part in the meeting. His concern: The high administrative burden associated with the implementation of this measure could contradict the desired goals.

The opposition also sees high costs for the municipality in the project - there is an estimate of around 250,000 euros, which the district administrator of the Saale-Orla district, Christian Herrgott, described as “obviously high”. Given the legal requirements coming in 2024, many believe that integrating refugees into the regular labor market could be more effective. Herrgott reports positive experiences: In his region, 90 of the 200 refugees were able to enter the first job market after just one year.

The situation of refugees in the labor market

What does this mean for the integration of refugees in Germany? According to current statistics, the unemployment rate for foreigners was 14.7 percent in December 2022, while the employment rate was 47.4 percent. These figures indicate that the path to the job market is still rocky for many refugees in Germany. Syrians who are in Turkey are particularly affected. According to official figures, there are more than 3.2 million registered Syrian refugees living in the country. Estimates of the total number of migrants staying in Turkey vary between 4.2 and 6 million. This means that refugees make up around 3.44 percent of the Turkish population, with the city of Istanbul at the top, followed by Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa.

What is particularly striking is the fact that the majority of Syrian refugees before the civil war in their home country had an income of well under $75 a month. Integrating in a new country and finding a job is a major challenge for many due to structural barriers such as a lack of education and language skills. According to [Sendika] reports, more than 715,000 Syrians voluntarily left their homeland between 2016 and 2024, and the decline in refugees in Turkey has been clearly noticeable since 2021 - a sign of the difficult living situation that many have to endure.

The challenge of social integration

In addition to the difficulties on the job market, many refugees have to deal with financial uncertainties. Over 77 percent of Syrian refugees in Turkey cannot meet their basic needs. This is also a serious issue in Germany, where the SGB II assistance rate for foreigners is 20.8 percent. However, these odds are confusing and are subject to various factors that may affect their comparability.

Overall, it is clear that not only the legal framework, but also social integration represents a major challenge in both Germany and Turkey. Projects like the one in Peine are a step in the right direction, but must be implemented carefully in order to be successful in the long term. The use of refugees in charitable work offers opportunities, but could also create additional tensions if the challenges these people face are not sufficiently addressed.