The OECD’s Unaccustomed Refugee Integration

The OECD, with Turkey and East European members directly affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, has compiled a best practice manual for the range of integration programs, particularly in light of labor market entry difficulties. It recommends customized language and skills training to mobilize the higher education of recent arrivals, where Sweden found that 40 percent had at least high school background. For Central and East Europe absorption is a “new experience,” and they have struggled with policy design long with border control. Early housing, health and subsistence interventions are useful, especially for children whose learning outcomes are jeopardized by poor living conditions and lack of instruction. Registration and tracking systems differ in speed and sophistication across Europe, and initial processing for humanitarian protection can take from a few months to a year without cultural and practical orientation available. Estonia, Greece and Turkey offer courses but they are often full. The Czech Republic and Hungary provide neither language nor job help, while Poland and Slovenia allow the former. Turkey’s career assistance covers traditional textiles and handicrafts but includes computers and the internet. However labor market access when granted typically involves strict conditions, such as testing and waiting periods in Greece and Hungary, and Turkish national restrictions for certain professions. Population dispersal across the country is also advised for burden sharing and employment search, but shelter overcrowding in urban centers is also a main driver. This “secondary migration” should be encouraged in worker shortage areas while keeping in mind the need for surrounding hard and soft infrastructure, the agency points out. Hungary bases a decision on asylum seeker family status, while Poland emphasizes housing cost and supply and Turkey looks at the immigrant share by municipality. Foreign academic and work qualifications can be hard to recognize and verify and specialized industry and scholarly bodies should be recruited to ensure integrity. Results should be weighed against “systematic skills assessments” which Emerging Europe members have not yet prepared. Intensive tailored on-line reading, writing and technical courses may be required and these offerings are currently limited through both government and employer channels.

Physical and mental health are priority issues, and unaccompanied minors present a particular challenge where schooling may be absent or badly lag local standards. Turkey has created special curricula for these students using Syrian teachers, and Slovenia has started to focus on low-education adults through additional evening courses with travel reimbursed. Poland has only a 12-month entitlement window to tap language lessons, but no cap on the number of hours unlike the Czech Republic and Hungary. Germany, which took in a million Mideast refugees last year, has moved to break out appropriations for the separate components with increased attention to the fiscal implications, even if the spending is expected to marginally boost the economy. Near-term integration and language outlays will be EUR 5 billion and accommodation EUR 17 billion, and under conservative estimates the annual total sum will be $25 billion through end-decade. Externally the government is also committed to a minimum EUR 3 billion Brussels aid package to Turkey and added pledges at the February London international conference on the Syria conflict which tried to customize a solution shred.