German business leaders say providing jobs to asylum seekers will help economy
Business leaders in Germany, Europe's largest economy, are calling for the thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the country every day to be offered jobs..."If we can integrate them quickly into the jobs market, we'll be helping the refugees, but also helping ourselves as well," the head of the powerful BDI industry federation, Ulrich Grillo, said this week...Already, at a local level, more and more businesses are opening their doors to the new arrivals, encouraged by new initiatives.In the Augsburg region of Bavaria in south Germany, for example, the HWK local Chamber of Crafts has appointed an "intercultural advisor" to deal specifically with the issue.The advisor has succeeded in placing 63 young refugees in a training scheme since the start of the year...Companies want a guarantee that a trainee they take on will not be deported from one day to the next...In late July, the government relaxed conditions for refugees accessing company internships."People who arrive here as refugees should quickly become our neighbours and our colleagues," labour and social affairs minister Andrea Nahles said...