On the draft bill of the Federal Government on the promotion of the vocational training and employment of foreign nationals : Statement of the IAB on the public hearing in the Committee for Labour and Social Affairs of the German Bundestag on June 3, 2019

Abstract

"This opinion concerns the public hearing in the Committee for Labour and Social Affairs of the German Bundestag on 3 June 2019 on the Federal Government's draft law on the promotion of the training and employment of foreign nationals. With the aim of improving the integration of migrants into the German labour market, the circle of persons entitled to general support for vocational training and preparation as well as for early language support is being expanded. From the perspective of labour market and integration research, these approaches are generally welcome since they facilitate integration into training and labour markets. First, the new law opens up access to various support measures for placement and promotion, as well as preparation for vocational training under Social Code Book III for EU and third-country nationals with work permits. This eliminates complicated access restrictions formulated at different points in the legislative text. Although hurdles for persons with humanitarian residence permits are maintained, they are regulated directly in the relevant funding instruments in order to improve transparency and simplify the regulations. From the IAB's point of view, the Federal Government is pursuing a positive approach by opening up support measures, although the retention of waiting periods and the exclusion of persons from so-called safe countries of origin could have been dispensed with. Furthermore, the draft law makes it possible for further groups of asylum-seekers to take part in integration and job-related language courses. So far, participation has only been possible for asylum-seekers in proceedings (Gestattete) if they stem from countries with good prospects of staying. Although there is still no legal entitlement to participation, persons from countries 'without good prospects of staying' can now also be admitted within the framework of free course places if they have already been in Germany for at least nine months and do not come from a safe country of origin. This is a useful step, as integration depends decisively on (early) language acquisition. In particular, people seeking protection often migrate unprepared for the destination country due to war and persecution, and bring comparatively little language proficiency with them. For this reason, it would be preferable to dispense with the nine month waiting period and to include persons from safe countries of origin. This would open up an early integration perspective for persons who in many cases have been in Germany for several years, and would also presumably relieve the German economy as a whole and public budgets." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Brücker, H., Jaschke, P. & Schuß, E. (2019): Zum Gesetzesentwurf der Bundesregierung zur Förderung der Ausbildung und Beschäftigung von Ausländerinnen und Ausländern - Ausländerbeschäftigungsförderungsgesetz. Stellungnahme des IAB zur Anhörung im Ausschuss für Arbeit und Soziales des Deutschen Bundestags am 3. Juni 2019. (IAB-Stellungnahme 10/2019), Nürnberg, 18 p.