How Syrian Immigrants Are Boosting Germany's Economy

Bloomberg

3 days ago

Diar Khal clearly recalls the moment he arrived in Germany: Dec. 6, 2014, a few minutes past 6 p.m. It marked the end of an extended period in limbo after fleeing civil war in Syria at the age of 12, followed by three years of long hours at grueling jobs in Turkey. At the time he knew Germany was the home of Mercedes-Benz, but not much more. A little more than a decade later, Khal speaks German fluently, lives in the industrial city of Mannheim and employs 15 people full time at his startup that makes an app aimed at helping immigrants navigate German bureaucracy. It's the kind of success story that's frequently overlooked in Germany's heated debate about migration.
More than 83,000 Syrians became German citizens last year, the largest group by far. And about two-thirds of refugees who arrived from 2013 to 2019 now have jobs, with their employment level just 9 percentage points below the national average, according to the Institute for Employment Research. When the crisis started, it would have been considered a success if even half of refugees were working at this stage, given the significant barriers to assimilation, says Herbert Brücker, head of migration studies at the state-funded group. 'There are substantial costs at the beginning,' he says, but as refugees start working, they're no longer a drain on public finances. 'The glass is more half full than half empty.'