Citizenship by work?

Arbeitsmarkpolitik im Flüchtlingsschutz zwischen Öffnung und Selektion

Abstract

The paper discusses current changes of the German labor market for certain groups of refugees. On the one hand, we can observe a partial opening of the labor market. Especially the economy welcomes the idea of opening the labor market for refugees. On the other hand, this policy establishes a perspective that puts a strong emphasis on economical benefits, even in the field of refugee protection. This policy is inconsistent with the idea of human rights, which state a right to work. Some researchers argue that the access to the labor market will be a chance to get citizenship rights. In contrast to this view, I argue that the focus on labor market participation leads to a classification of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ refugees. At the same time, the partial opening is a gateway for ‘activation policies’ with different sanctions intervening into the refugee protection system.