Berlin's career fair connects 3,500 refugees with local employers in push for jobs
A Job Fair for Refugees: Cutting Through Red Tape to Fill Labor Gaps
One booth offers cookies, another hands out applesâthis isn't a market, but a career fair for refugees. Held in Berlin's Ludwig-Erhard-Haus near Zoo Station, FutureTogether (FuTog) connects companies directly with refugees, bypassing paperwork and job portals. "We bring employers and refugees together in a straightforward wayâno forms, no portals," says Nicole Trauelsen, managing director of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Job Center.
The goal? To create career opportunities for people with refugee backgrounds while tackling Germany's skilled labor shortageâall without the usual bureaucratic hurdles. Now in its seventh iteration since 2022, the fair is organized by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the Berlin Chamber of Skilled Crafts, the city's employment agencies, and job centers. On Wednesday, around 3,500 refugees met with roughly 50 Berlin-based companies.
Among them is Wahrdi, a 45-year-old father from Afghanistan who once owned a grocery store back home. Here in Germany, he works in securityâa field in which he's already completed his first training. At FuTog, he's exploring further opportunities. Navigating the crowded hall with a friend, he passes interpreters in yellow shirts and purple vests, speaking Russian, Persian, Arabic, and Kurdish.
The security booths are upstairs. On the way, he spots representatives from BVG (Berlin's public transport) and Deutsche Bahn, along with the city's water utility. Upstairs, alongside security firms, companies like Meininger Hotels and Frisch & Faust Civil Engineering advertise apprenticeships and jobs. The latter employs 160 people, many with migrant backgrounds. "Most of our applicants are refugees or have migrant roots," says Helmut Arndt, the company's training coordinator. "We don't distinguishâwe need skilled workers, and it doesn't matter where they come from."
Easing the Transition
The key, Arndt explains, is getting people through the doorâand giving them time to adjust to the language, workplace, and culture. One tool is the Einstiegsqualifikation, a six-month subsidized internship paid at trainee-level wages, often leading to an apprenticeship. Unless, that is, the employment agency steps in: "Sorry, we can't do the internshipâhis residency status doesn't qualify," Arndt says, shaking his head in frustration.
When residency or bureaucratic issues arise, refugees and employers can turn to Arrivo, which also offers free language and career orientation courses. Their booth is near the entrance, and a staff member stops by the Frisch & Faust stand to say hello.
Yet the fight against bureaucracy never ends. Arndt recalls a skilled welder they couldn't hire immediately due to residency rules. It's one of many cases where red tape delays or blocks employment. JĂźrgen Wittke, CEO of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, shares the frustration. Debates over faster deportations, he argues forcefully, clash with the reality of labor shortages: "We need to focus on how quickly people can start working. When demand is there, the question of why someone fled becomes irrelevant."
"A city must radiate openness to attract people" âJĂźrgen Wittke, CEO, Berlin Chamber of Commerce
Most refugees want to work, Trauelsen confirms from her experience at the job center: "Many are determined to build a life here and secure a future. Work is part of that."
Language Skills Are Key
Language also plays a crucial role in making this possible. In civil engineering and road construction, for example, it sounds like this: "When we say, 'Watch out, a digger is comingâplease step aside,' you have to understand that immediately," explains Arndt. Frisch & Faust is far from alone in this. Many employers consider language proficiency at the B1 or B2 level essential, Trauelsen adds. The problem? Learning a new language without support is simply impossible, Arendt arguesâespecially after fleeing to a new country, often living in cramped conditions and trying to study after a long workday. "That's just not realistic."
So when language and integration courses are cut, he calls it "absolute madness.""I don't understand these decisions. How are you supposed to integrate people when language is the key? It just doesn't work." Every euro saved here will cost far more elsewhere, Wittke agrees.
Wahrdi has that keyâhe speaks German at a B2 level. Visiting the job fair hasn't landed him a new position yet, but meeting so many different companies has been valuable, he says. Back home, he plans to search online using all the brochures and information he collected and may apply for jobs.
A 37-year-old woman from Ukraine also left empty-handed. Before fleeing to Germany, she worked in administration at a music academy. Here, she started an IT retraining program but dropped out after a year, doubting her chances as a career changer competing with experienced IT professionals in a tight job market. Instead, she'd prefer to return to administrative work. The job center understands her situation and has been very supportive, she says.
That support is vital for integrationânot just to attract skilled workers, but out of respect for people who want to live as independently as possible. The FuTog initiative is a pragmatic step in that direction, showing what's currently achievable. But more is needed: "an open-minded attitude," Wittke stresses. A city must radiate that spiritâ"it's the most important thing." And how? "By avoiding anything narrow-minded, stupid, orâlet's sayâsmall-minded."
