The Confederation wants to save 700 million francs in asylum by 2028. Among the proposed measures, Ukrainian refugees must be better integrated into the labor market. “We need to give them a clear signal,” said Federal Councilor Beat Jans.
“Switzerland welcomed the victims of Russian aggression with open arms,” Beat Jans recalled at a press conference on Wednesday. The S protection status is provisional, and people who benefit from it will one day have to return home.
In the meantime, these people must be integrated at the professional level. “Because Ukrainians are not only our guests, they must be part of our daily lives.”
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Clear signal
The Federal Council intends to make significant savings by promoting the professional integration of S status beneficiaries. The government has adopted a series of measures. “We must give a clear signal to these people. They must also do their part,” underlined the head of the Department of Justice and Police (DFJP).
The goal is to reach an activity rate of 40% by the end of 2024, which will help ease the burden on social assistance and federal finances. At the end of April, the activity rate stood at 24% on national average. But with great disparities between the cantons. The average occupancy rate is 70%.
The action of regional employment offices (ORP) will be strengthened. Currently, only a small part of Ukrainians are registered with ORPs. In the future, the various services concerned with social assistance and employment will have to encourage people able to work to register.
Social assistance officials have already been required since the beginning of the year to announce them to the public employment services. This obligation should be enshrined in law. A national meeting between players in this field is planned for June in order to promote collaboration at all levels.
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Languages
The level of language skills is also often an obstacle to finding a job. The cantons offer language courses. So far, some 30,000 Ukrainians have taken these courses, said Bernese cantonal economy minister Christoph Ammann.
Integration does not work “à la carte”, continued the Bernese. People must also be ready to accept jobs that do not completely match their profile, in order to be financially independent and get off social assistance. To do this, “we must give them perspectives”. The issue of caring for young children is also part of this.
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Convince businesses
“Businesses have a crucial role to play, they must give Ukrainians a chance,” Beat Jans also argued. The FDJP has appointed a professional integration delegate, who will be the link between the administration and the economy.
Another measure in sight, the implementation of a digital platform for job offers: Path2Work, developed by the EPFs of Lausanne and Zurich, allows people to complete the list of their qualifications with an online skills profile . The platform also targets employers by drawing their attention to candidate profiles.
The recognition of diplomas will also need to be improved. Recognized refugees and people admitted on a temporary basis should also benefit. With all these different measures, the Federal Council hopes to save some 650 million francs.
Concerning the S status itself, sometimes called into question or which some voices call for to evolve towards a more sustainable status, a report will be presented by the fall of 2024, specified Beat Jans.
Pending files
In addition to professional integration, the Federal Council wants the number of asylum applications pending at first instance to increase from around 14,000 to 5,800 by the end of 2026. The State Secretariat for Migration has created 60 positions full-time this year for this purpose, for expected savings of around 80 million francs.
In total, the expected savings should be around 700 million francs by the end of 2028. This reduction in spending will be taken into account in the 2025 budget.
ats/edel
