Job center looks after over 1,000 Ukrainians: the real work is just beginning

Created: 06/29/2022, 09:00

By: Andreas Steppan

With the care of Ukrainian refugees, the job center has been given a major task.

© dpa

Refugees from the Ukraine have been able to receive Hartz IV since the beginning of June.

The Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen job center gives current figures - and is preparing for a big task.

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen

– The number of Hartz IV communities in need in the district grew abruptly at the beginning of the month: As reported, the so-called change of legal status came into effect on June 1st for refugees from the Ukraine.

This means that since then the refugees no longer receive money under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but fall under Hartz IV and the job center is now responsible for them.

The Tölz authority was and is thus faced with an enormous challenge - which, according to its boss Andreas Baumann, it has so far mastered without any problems.

Bilingual application forms for refugees from Ukraine

According to Baumann, this is due to the good preparation.

At the beginning of April, the job center began having application forms and information material translated and sending them in bilingual form to the refugees registered in the district.

The job center accepted the first applications from mid-April.

"We were already able to enter the returns into the system," says Baumann.

The job center also distributed information about the formalities and required documents at an event aimed specifically at communities and refugee helpers.

So much was already done before the change of legal sphere on May 25th was even legally decided.

From that day on, the job center was able to calculate the respective amount of the Hartz IV rate, issue the notices and instruct the payments, "so that more than 1,000 people had their money in their accounts on June 1st," reports Baumann.

Some stragglers were then approached at the tent in the Tölzer Kasernenkarree, which serves as a contact point for refugees from the Ukraine.

Especially women and children among refugees from Ukraine

"There's usually always a problem somewhere," says the head of the job center.

"But in this case everything went perfectly." This is mainly due to the above-average commitment of the employees.

"Everyone helped together."

As of the beginning of the week, around 500 additional communities of need - i.e. families or partnerships in one household - were registered at the Tölzer job center, consisting of 1020 people.

According to Baumann, some are constantly being added.

Among the people supplied through Hartz IV are 300 to 400 children.

Of the adults, 525 are women and 146 men.

However, Baumann concedes: “The real work is just beginning.” Because now it is important to find work for the refugees.

Each of the new Ukrainian job center customers is invited to a personal interview with the employment agency, and there are also group events for 50 people each to explain what the Hartz IV system means.

One of the tasks of the job center is to "make it clear that you have to start work, even if you don't earn much more than if you do nothing," says Andreas Baumann.

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Lack of qualification as a hurdle

It will not fail due to a lack of absorbing capacity of the labor market.

Baumann makes this clear by the fact that very few other new applications for unemployment benefit II are currently being received.

"From mid-May to mid-June there were just 42 people who came from non-Ukrainians." Normally there are between 60 and 80 per month. "The economy is booming," says Baumann.

"Those who are motivated can find a job."

However, Baumann dampens hopes that the Ukrainians could alleviate the shortage of skilled workers in the nursing sector, for example.

That fails because of the language skills of the refugees.” In addition, nothing is known about their relevant qualifications and their recognition.

In general, an initial query revealed that of around 670 Ukrainian job seekers, 407 had a qualification at helper level, eight were classified as skilled workers and the rest had no qualifications at all.

Baumann also sees a hurdle in the question of childcare.

In order to learn German, Baumann advises the refugees to take the initiative.

The official integration courses in the Landtreis are all full.

In addition, there are other low-threshold offers, such as at the adult education centers, where a course with 80 to 100 euros is also affordable.

It is possible for the job center to assume the costs.

From Baumann's point of view, the best way to integrate would be to work and learn German at the same time.

"Because you don't learn German in a course, but through contact with other people."

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.

You can read all further information on the Ukraine war and its effects in Bavaria here on our Ukraine refugees topic page.