Research question, relevance and methodology
- Factsheet to the study -
Authors: Jure Leko, Aleksandra Lewicki, Jannis Panagiotidis, Hans-Christian Petersen Year of publication: 2024
Brief overview
The study examines how people from Eastern Europe experience discrimination when dealing with German job centres. Job centres serve as the main interface between the labour market and the welfare state. They decide on benefits granted, provide consultation and help their clients to find jobs – and they possess discretionary powers they can use to promote or hinder participation. The research focuses on people who became EU citizens through the enlargements to the east as well as refugees who have come from Ukraine since 2022. It aims at highlighting how social prejudice is translated into official action and how this affects the people concerned.
The study is based on 82 qualitative interviews (survey period: September 2023 to May 2024). A total of 38 individual interviews and 2 group interviews were conducted at 22 job centres throughout Germany using a specific interview guide. Those surveyed mostly worked in benefits and job placement departments, but executive staff, employees specialised in inclusion as well as migration and equal opportunities officers were also interviewed. This was complemented by peer-to-peer interviews with 40 people from Eastern Europe and two interviews with experts from the field of legal and welfare advice.
Main results
The qualitative findings show a mixed picture: In many job centres, staff show commitment and a critical attitude towards discrimination when dealing with their clients, while at the same time, institutional practices and legal requirements are often revealed that reinforce anti-Eastern European attributions.
Key findings include:
- Legal barriers (e.g. strict requirements regarding proof of the “worker status”, no legal right to attend an integration course) mean that people from Eastern Europe are more likely to remain in precarious situations.
- Institutional routines (rigorous means testing, withholding information, focussing on the prevention of “welfare fraud”) reinforce mistrust towards applicants from certain countries of origin and thus cause discrimination.
- Individual prejudices of staff (stereotypes such as “poor”, “backward”, but also “hardworking, but easy to exploit”) are very likely to influence decisions during the consultation and job placement process, since discretionary powers allow it to happen.
- Intersectional effects mainly affect Romanies and women with care responsibilities: Multiple burdens and attributions exacerbate exclusion mechanisms.
- For refugees from Ukraine, there is a paradox: Fast access to benefits and the labour market through temporary protection also leads to new prejudices (e.g. being accused of having special privileges), and measures such as the Job-Turbo increase the risk of falling into low-wage employment.
Combined, these levels – legal, institutional, individual – create a self-reinforcing mechanism of exclusion that substantially hinders the long-term participation of those affected.
Options for action
The study’s recommended measures are categorised into four sets of measures:
1) Expanding protection against discrimination
Protection against discrimination should also cover state action. To achieve this, the General Equal Treatment Act needs to be amended at Federal level and corresponding Land-level legislation needs to be introduced so that discrimination by Government actors can be more easily contested. At the same time, anti-discrimination policy must cover a broader range of topics and it must be strengthened in terms of both funding and infrastructure. The positions of anti-racism officers need to be strengthened at all levels so as to effectively combat racism across departments and ministries. It is necessary to increase the number of complaints offices across Germany and particularly in regions that are structurally weak. The funding of these offices should be secured over the long term and they should specifically integrate various different types of discrimination, including anti-Eastern European discrimination, into their work.
2) Integration instead of fast but inappropriate job placement
Instead of rashly offering refugees and migrants inappropriate jobs, the focus should be on long-term integration. The concept of the Citizen’s Benefit contributes to this approach by promoting qualifications and facilitating upskilling. A legal framework that ensures people have a prospect of obtaining permanent residence in Germany – by extending the duration of a residence permit to five years, for instance – would increase employment opportunities and retain skilled workers over the long term. At the same time, integration courses and upskilling programmes should be opened to all status groups, their funding secured over the long term and the number of courses offered should be increased so as to boost language skills, integration in the workplace and social participation.
3) Fostering critical attitudes towards racism among job centre staff
An awareness of racist and discriminatory attitudes already exists among staff at job centres, and this awareness should be further raised. Regular, mandatory trainings on racism and particularly on anti-Eastern European discrimination can help to achieve this and internalise discrimination-sensitive procedures. Another important factor is quality assurance by certified, community-based training providers that need to receive reliable financial support. Opportunities for internal exchange and job shadowing encourage reflective thinking and promote the implementation of non-discriminatory measures. Teams with a special focus on migration from Eastern Europe may improve consultation quality as well as participation opportunities if those teams are supported by sufficient human resources.
4) Anti-Eastern European attitudes in a social context
Anti-Eastern European attitudes among staff at job centres are a manifestation of patterns within our society. To effectively counteract these patterns, we need to increase the support for civil society initiatives that work against racism and take action against discrimination and exploitation – up to now often on a voluntary basis. Long-term funding structures and a recognition of their commitment would significantly increase the effectiveness of those initiatives. In addition, remembrance policy should focus on a more systematic examination and reappraisal of the occupation of Eastern European countries by the National Socialists and the resulting forced labour to highlight historical conditions of exploitation and clearly identify responsibilities. Such an active culture of remembrance can help to dismantle existing prejudices and social stigma.