Family reunion partners: labour force potential and access to the labour market
Integration Department
Project head: Dr. Niklas Harder
The earlier analyses within the framework of the project "Labour force potential of spouses moving in from other EU countries and third countries" show that the potential of this group of immigrants for the German labour market is already very large in purely numerical terms, but not sufficiently exploited. Only slightly more than half of the immigrant partners are employed, including fewer people from third countries, significantly fewer women and significantly fewer people with children. According to the study, one of the most important reasons for not looking for a job at the moment or only being employed part-time is the care of children. In addition to childcare, a striking number of people who work part-time or are not currently looking for work also gave the answer option "other reasons" when asked for reasons; this was the second most common reason in each case.
In order to better assess and activate the potential of this group for the labour market, further insights are necessary. The project therefore asks:
- In which occupational areas are the people qualified? A sector-specific analysis would provide information about the areas of the German labour market for which the target group is particularly relevant. This is particularly interesting for those sectors in which there is a special need for skilled workers (for example, in the field of nursing).
- Which groups of origin are qualified and how, and what form of support might they need to transfer their qualifications to the German labour market?
In addition to the qualifications they have brought with them, more in-depth findings are needed on the question of how immigrant partners enter the German labour market and what barriers to entry they experience. Here, too, we see at least two aspects that require closer examination:
- Which sub-groups have been reached so far by the childcare services and how well, and for which groups can the existing offer of childcare places be better developed?
- How do they look for work and how do subgroups (e.g. with different educational backgrounds or different origins) differ in this respect?
Funding: Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Third-party funding)