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Life situations of young adults with refugee experience ,
BAMF Brief Analysis 1|2021 examines how the life situations of young female and male refugees have developed between 2016 and 2018. It takes account of changes in the employment, education and family status of young refugees.
The author analysed data from the first three waves of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Refugee Survey from 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Brief Analysis focuses on developments in the life situations of young refugees who were between 18 and 25 years old when they arrived in Germany. Circumstances and conditions on arrival, as well as their adjustment to life in Germany, are investigated. To record the adjustment of the young refugees in Germany, changes in their housing and family situations, as well as in their educational, employment and legal status are examined. In addition, it is analysed to what extent the developments of young refugees are similar to those of young adults of the same age born in Germany or of older displaced persons. Finally, the question is investigated of how young female and male refugees organised their everyday lives in 2018.
The most important results at a glance
The life situations of young refugee men and women differ
Young male refugees are more employment-orientated, and young female refugees are more family-orientated. Young male and female refugees do not generally differ in these orientations from refugees who were over 25 years old when they arrived in Germany. The majority of young male refugees in 2018 were single, and more than one-third were employed. In contrast, the majority of young female refugees in 2018 were married and/or living with a small child. More than four out of five young female refugees were not employed in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Young female refugees start families early, and devote more time to childcare
Young female refugees started families earlier in their lives than did women of the same age who were born in Germany and have no migration background. If children lived in the household, in 2018 non-employed female refugees spent an average of 7.5 hours, and employed women 4.2 hours, on childcare on weekdays. In addition to childcare, learning German also played an important role in the everyday life of young female refugees. On weekdays, young female refugees spent an average of 2.2 hours aiming to improve their German language skills.
A young age on arrival in Germany seems to be an advantage for male refugees when making the transition to the labour market
37 % of young male refugees, and 30 % of older male refugees, were employed two to three years after arriving in Germany in 2018. This means that, percentage-wise, young male refugees managed the transition to the German labour market somewhat more rapidly than older refugees between 2016 and 2018. Furthermore, in 2018 a longer residence in Germany increased the likelihood of employment for young male refugees, whilst temporary suspension of deportation status (Duldung) lowered the likelihood of employment (compared to persons with recognised protection status).
The Brief Analysis was written by: Wenke Niehues