The employment rate among Ukrainian refugees living in Germany is unacceptably low, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said, vowing to overhaul the benefits system.
Germany has been one of the primary destinations for Ukrainians since the conflict with Russia erupted in 2022, with an estimated 1.1 million residing in the country as of mid-November.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) on Tuesday, Merz said more Ukrainian nationals should be seeking employment.
“Germany has one of the lowest employment rates for Ukrainian refugees in the entire European Union. Some countries have rates of 70% or 80%, while ours is still below 30%. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Merz argued that Ukrainians capable of working should no longer rely on Burgergeld, or citizens’ allowance, which is normally reserved for German nationals.
In 2022, Germany passed a law making Ukrainians eligible for a basic allowance of €563 ($650) per month, along with housing assistance. But as the conflict dragged on, the government has proposed reducing the monthly benefits to €441 ($510) for Ukrainians who arrive after April 1, 2025. The measure is expected to affect around 83,000 people, according to Focus.
Prominent critics of benefits for Ukrainians include Markus Soeder, the head of Bavaria, who has argued that they should not enjoy privileges unavailable to refugees from other countries.
Merz has also noted that military-age men have been fleeing Ukraine to avoid conscription as Kiev struggles to replenish its battlefield losses. Earlier this month, he said he had asked Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to “ensure that these young men remain in their home country, where they are needed, and not in Germany.”
In neighboring Poland, another major destination for Ukrainians, President Karol Nawrocki has likewise recently said that they should be stripped of preferential treatment.
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