2023-04-23 17:41:29
Suisse
Four out of five refugees depend on social assistance to live
Many claimants work but are part of the working poor. In addition, asylum decisions have so far come very late. The situation should improve.
Posted
This Afghan family lives of 5 in a one-room apartment.
Tamedia AG/Franziska Rothenbuehler
More than 80% of refugees and asylum seekers temporarily admitted to Switzerland benefit from social assistance, reports the “SonntagsBlick” on Sunday. “Given the shortage of labor in Switzerland, this is a surprisingly high percentage,” he says.
But there are explanations. First, a large proportion of the beneficiaries are children, which weighs in the balance. In addition, 40% of refugees on social assistance are working. But they do not earn enough money to support a family, especially since their job is often poorly paid and the mother has to stay at home to take care of the children, which deprives her of access to world of work.
In addition, some refugees have had little schooling and others suffer from trauma or are physically disabled. Last but not least, the processing times for asylum applications for people who arrived in 2015 sometimes lasted almost 4 years. However, without an asylum decision, it is impossible to train or learn the language.
But the situation should improve, according to the newspaper. Indeed, with the asylum reform that came into force in 2019, the procedures have been accelerated and the majority of applicants receive a decision within 5 months. They can now take language courses and training as quickly as possible. Goal of the Confederation: seven years following their arrival, half of the refugees must be “sustainably integrated into the labor market”. A realistic objective since 55% of the refugees who arrived in 2014 now have a job.
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