German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday said the successful integration of refugees into the German workforce is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of a widespread anti-immigration sentiment in the country.
“There is an atmosphere, and majorities in our country who say: ‘They must all be deported,'” Baerbock said on a visit to a trade body in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin.
Baerbock suggested that a hypothetical survey of German residents questioning whether the country should accept more immigrants would likely result in a majority against the idea.
Yet immigration is desperately needed in Germany, said the foreign minister.
German businesses are facing a shortage of skilled workers and are relying on recruitment from abroad to fill the gap.
Baerbock said the needs of German companies and the attitudes of the country’s residents are in “absolute contradiction.”
In discussion with entrepreneurs at the meeting, Baerbock was told about long bureaucratic processes involved in obtaining work permits for employees with a refugee background.
Representatives of migrant organizations have also previously called for improvements in the integration of refugees into the labour market.
