Munich (dpa-AfX)-The Munich IFO Institute suggests that the distribution of asylum seekers to federal states and counties are more dependent on how many vacancies there are. This makes integration easier, says IFO expert Panu Poutvaara. It plays an important role in this whether the asylum seekers find a job – and the situation on the local labor market is also important.
“If the unemployment rate in the district of the initial accommodation is one percentage point higher, this leads to a five percentage point that is less likely that asylum seekers will take up employment in the medium term,” says Poutvaara. As a result, the initial accommodation is “crucial for successful integration”. However, the decision about the place of accommodation in Germany “a lottery procedure that is potentially harmful to integration success,” he criticizes and emphasizes: “A failed integration leads to high follow -up costs.” Or the other way around: “It is better for the refugees and for Germany if you find a job and integrate well.”
So far, asylum seekers in Germany have been distributed to the federal states according to the Königstein key, as Poutvaara explains. This takes into account tax income and population. The federal states themselves usually distributed proportional to the existing population into the counties. The economic researcher, who heads the Center for Migration and Development Economics at the IFO, now suggests that the vacancies to be included as a further factor at both the country and at the district level.
To expect political headwind
Politically, headwind can be expected with this proposal. It would probably mean that countries with a better situation on the labor market would have to take up a higher proportion of asylum seekers.
As a further aspect that is important for integration success, Poutvaara made the right -wing extremist voter in the district. Any percentage point that this is higher is accompanied by a probability that falls by three points that asylum seekers will find a job or do an apprenticeship. This factor should not be incorporated into the distribution, he warns. Otherwise people who are critical of refugees could be motivated to choose right -wing extremists./RUC/DP/MIS