Berlin job fair for refugees: The language barrier is always the problem

Berlin newspaper Berlin job fair for refugees: The language barrier is always the problem Article by Leandra Vorndamm • 13 hours The Ludwig Erhard House in Charlottenburg is really big, and yet it is full - full of people. The wide hall is lined all around with small round tables decorated with alternating blue and white covers. Gift items and business cards lie on them. Expectant, friendly-looking faces can be seen behind the tables. They are eagerly waiting for visitors. Because on this day there is a job fair for refugees. Visitors crowd the steps, there are people everywhere. Some come in pairs or small groups, but most stand alone between the tables, unsure where the first step should take them. One thing is noticeable in this multilingual crowd: the hope for new professional perspectives. But there is usually a very clear barrier between the people in front of and behind the tables: language. The language barrier is also one of the crucial problems in the world of work. There is a shortage of skilled workers almost everywhere there, even though a lot of migrants have come to Germany in recent years. The unemployment rate among asylum seekers is almost 30 percent, and among refugees from Ukraine it is even more than 50 percent, as data from the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) shows. But there are also successes: In June 2023, around 57,000 more asylum seekers were employed than in the previous year. According to a recent study, employment rates are usually very low shortly after refugees arrive, but they are steadily increasing. The employment rate is seven percent in the first year after arrival, and after six years it is 54 percent. In the Ludwig Erhard House, 90 companies meet around 3,000 refugees. Most employers that the Berliner Zeitung speaks to focus on the concept of motivation. Daniel Pall, recruiter at Butter Lindner, says that experience is good, but motivation is crucial. Sven Henschke from the Lindner company also says that people are wanted in almost all areas. It “doesn’t matter where people come from”. Carmen Block-Ottomeier from the Mago butcher shop says that everyone who wants to work is welcome, regardless of their origin. She could place 15 people in open positions that day. Daniel Pall stands behind a blue table and says that knowledge of German is expected at level B1. The rest can be learned step by step. At the fair, the focus is almost always and everywhere on German language skills, especially the B1 certificate. This is usually the basic requirement for job interviews. Claudia Charrabé, manager of Beton & Rohrbau, says that it is very difficult, especially in her industry, to work with people without knowledge of German. Technical vocabulary must be understood. At the same time, her company has been desperately looking for trainees for years. She would like to see more support from politicians in language promotion. Aswad Mako spoke to three people at three stands within half an hour. The Iraqi is looking for an administrative job. His dream job would be as an interpreter, but he has also been unemployed for six months. “I wrote hundreds of applications but never received any feedback.” The trade fair is a good idea. Now he hopes to find a job at one of these tables. Dorota Fruzynska stands in the crowd and carefully studies a flyer. She came to Berlin in 2011. In Poland – her country of birth – she worked in a bank. After further training in office management, she has been looking for work for a year. Her dream would be an office job. In order to be able to work in a bank again, she would need B2. Again, the language barrier is the biggest hurdle. “I speak a good B1, but I need more for my projects.” She has a clear goal and wants to learn. Before moving to the next table, she says, “I don’t want to work as a cleaner.”