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Hekmatullah Azizi (32) was happy with the commitment. He had just found a job as a pizzaiolo in a restaurant in Basel. But his celebration was short-lived. Because Azizi lives in the canton of Zurich – and the authorities have denied him a change of residence. A problem for the Afghan: working hours in the catering industry are irregular and the breaks between lunch and dinner are long. Long drives are an obstacle.
Azizi found a way to get the job anyway. During the week he lived with his mother, who lives in Basel-Land. Yet he is annoyed by the behavior of the authorities. “You should be helping instead of getting in our way.”
Azizi is one of 45,000 temporarily admitted to Switzerland – and not the only one with his problems. Depending on the canton, strict rules apply to asylum seekers and temporarily admitted persons when it comes to taking on work.
In a new study, a team led by ETH migration researcher Dominik Hangartner (42) examined the effect of these restrictions. His conclusion: “The restrictions are one of the reasons for the low employment rate of the refugees.” That is also a pity for the receiving country. Because: “Anyone who has no work must be supported with social assistance benefits.”
Asylum seekers are only allowed to work in certain sectors
The study https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/595935 is based on figures on the labor market integration of refugees between 1999 and 2016. Specifically, the authors examined four restrictions that apply to asylum seekers and temporary authorized persons: the work ban, national priority, sectoral and regional restrictions.
The work ban applies to asylum seekers during the first three months after arrival, and even longer in some cantons. The priority for nationals states that companies should primarily fill vacancies with Swiss and EU citizens. Due to the sectoral restrictions, asylum seekers are only allowed to work in certain sectors: for example, in the hospitality industry, but not in construction. The regional restrictions mean that asylum seekers and persons temporarily admitted must work in the canton where they live.
Depending on the canton, the restrictions vary in severity. Glarus imposes strict restrictions on the sectors in which refugees can work – while there are fewer bans in Graubünden. These differences allowed the study authors to quantify the impact of the limitations.
With remarkable results: if a refugee moves from one of the most restrictive cantons (Glarus) to one of the most liberal cantons (Graubünden), his chance of finding a job almost doubles. In concrete terms, the labor participation of asylum seekers and persons temporarily admitted rises from 11 to 19 percent in the first five years after arrival, the study shows – simply because the strictest restrictions are abolished. Hangartner: “It would be important to remove unnecessary barriers precisely because refugee labor participation is low.”
Current regulations have the opposite effect. Moreover, they mean that refugees are more often unemployed and have even lower wages years later. After all, limited access to the labor market immediately after arrival worsens the chances of finding a job, even years later. At the same time, the restrictions weaken the negotiating position of refugees vis-à-vis companies. Means: You must be totally happy to get a job.
“Strict rules do not mean that refugees leave Switzerland faster”
Rahman D.* (34) had this experience. The Afghan had been working as a metalworker in Iran for seven years. After fleeing to Switzerland, he also found a job in this field in this country – but his salary was lower than it should have been according to the industry agreement. “From 2016 to 2021, I made less than 50,000 francs a year,” says Rahman D. “Although for people like me who are over 25 and have five years of professional experience, the minimum wage is 65,000 francs.” It was not possible for D. to stop.
For study author Hangartner, the crucial question is where the benefit of the current restrictions lies. “Is it about protecting low-skilled residents against competition from refugees? Or do you want the refugees to leave Switzerland again?”
Hangartner and his colleagues examined both scenarios. Result: “We find no evidence that EU citizens have better job opportunities if the cantons are more restrictive towards asylum seekers and temporary admissions.” And: “The strict rules do not mean that refugees leave Switzerland more quickly: we see no difference between strict and liberal cantons.”
Based on these results, Hangartner concludes: “The restrictions lead to high costs for the refugees and the host society – without any measurable benefits.” From his point of view, it would make sense for the restrictive cantons to be based on the liberal ones. “That would benefit both the refugees and the taxpayer.”
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
