Status: 03.10.2023, 18:39 p.m.
By: Mike Schier, Christian Deutschländer
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So far, according to the Federal Employment Agency, around 18 percent of Ukrainian refugees have a job subject to social security contributions. Too little, says the FDP.
Munich – The FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag is coming up with proposals on how to integrate Ukrainian refugees into the labor market faster and better. "We must not be concerned with a long-term or even permanent change to the citizen's money, but the goal must be the change to the labor market," write the deputies Johannes Vogel and Konstantin Kuhle in a paper, which is available to the Münchner Merkur. Her criticism: "All too often, the start of work also fails because the dates for integration and German courses take place at lunchtime, that there are no childcare places for children or that the recognition procedures for vocational qualifications are too lengthy."
Refugees from Ukraine are to be integrated into the labour market more quickly. © Hector Adolfo Quintanar Perez
FDP paper reveals how the Liberals want to integrate more Ukrainians into the labor market
In the future, "from day 1 onwards, priority should be given to placement in work," it says. Language acquisition could then take place alongside employment. "For this reason, the strict division between job-specific and general language acquisition must be loosened up by offering combined language courses," write the social and home affairs politicians. Integration and German courses should no longer take place at lunchtime, but in the afternoon and evening hours.
Professional qualifications of Ukrainian educators and nurses should be recognized more quickly, even without knowledge of German. It is precisely the lack of childcare that prevents many Ukrainian women from working. "Here, the states are obliged to create the legal possibilities for this," write the two MEPs. They also call on the customs authorities to take tougher action against undeclared work. "Those who abide by the law must not be at a disadvantage," it says.
FDP wants to get Ukrainian refugees into work - Söder criticizes citizen's money decision
However, the paper does not address the question of whether the controversial decision of the traffic light government to pay citizen's money to all Ukrainian refugees should be put to the test. In parts of the coalition, this is now being self-critically questioned, but so far there have been no attempts to change course. Markus Söder, among others, had demanded this. "We consider the citizen's money decision to be wrong," the CSU chairman told our editorial team. "We need to find a better balance in all social benefits. Those who work must have more than someone who does not work. And those who have paid in must have more than someone who has never paid in."