One third of German firms plan to hire refugees: survey

A survey showed on Wednesday that one out of three German companies wants to hire refugees.

Thirty-four percent of human resources directors contacted by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research said they planned to hire refugees this year or next year.

The Munich-based think tank surveyed around 1,000 human resources managers of German companies for the poll.

If all these firms go ahead with their plans, it would be a big increase compared with the past two years, when just seven percent of them hired refugees, according to German media Spiegel Online.

The poll also showed that the managers surveyed were well aware of the administrative hurdles they would need to overcome to hire refugees.

Companies in Germany that want to hire non-EU citizens usually have to show that there is no other German or EU applicant suitable for the job.

But bosses who have hired refugees in the past said the challenge was worth it, with 68 percent saying they planned to hire more in the next two years.

At the same time, the poll also showed the difficulties that companies may face once they've overcome the bureaucratic obstacles to hiring refugees.

Language is a concern for 86 percent of the managers surveyed, with the qualifications of refugee job-seekers troubling 46 percent of respondents. Endit