About two-thirds of Syrian refugees in Germany rely either entirely or partially on receiving public benefits, the country’s Federal Employment Agency revealed in its report on Wednesday.
Citing official unemployment figures, the agency said nearly 65 percent of Syrians who are able to work in the country rely entirely or partially on the Hartz IV benefits.
The figures also revealed that Syrians in Germany are much more likely to be receiving benefits than other migrant groups, including 37 percent of migrants from Somalia and 44 percent of Afghans who are on welfare.
However, the proportion of Syrians receiving state benefits is lower compared to the same month last year, as it was close to 70 percent in March 2020.
German Interior Spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Mathias Middelberg said: "The figures from the Federal Employment Agency show that we still have a lot to do in the area of integration.”
He said the proportion of Syrians receiving state benefits remained high despite their relatively good chances of being granted protection in Germany.
“More should be done to help those already living here who are entitled to protection especially in the area of labor market integration, instead of providing incentives for low-skilled an unskilled immigration," Middelberg added.
For her part, Panu Poutvaara, a member of the German Expert Council on Integration and Migration said that in general, the unemployment rate among refugees is always particularly high in the first years of residence.
She said Syrians top the list of nationalities of new arrivals in Germany since 2015 and therefore, this fact could also play a role in the relatively high unemployment rate.
