Migrants do better in Germany than elsewhere: survey
Deutsche Presse Agentur, May 19, 2010
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1557019.php/Migrants-do-better-in-Germany-than-elsewhere-survey
Berlin (DPA) — Immigrants living in Germany do better than in other countries, but fare less well than their German counterparts, according to an independent survey released Wednesday.
'Despite a few problem areas, integration in Germany is a social and political success story,' said Klaus Bade, whose advisory board on German migration issues conducted the survey.
Specifically, people with a migrant background fared worse in Germany's education system than citizens of German origin, the survey revealed.
Bade said a shrinking number of young Germans were entering the workforce, so the country should strive to be 'more attractive to qualified people thinking of emigrating, and to those hesitating to come.'
Compared with other European states however, Bade said migrants fared better in Germany, adding that the country was 'far better than its reputation.'
The survey showed that unemployment amongst immigrants and their children was 1.5 times higher than amongst native Germans – but Bade said this risk was three times higher for migrants to countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands.
The survey, carried out on behalf of several German integration and migration trusts, questioned around 5,600 people of migrant and non-migrant background in Germany.
'We urgently need to improve early opportunities for young people from migrant families,' the government's integration commissioner Maria Boehmer said in response to the survey.
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Ethnic Germans and Immigrants On Better Terms Than Expected
Der Spiegel (Germany), May 20, 2010
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,695876,00.html
