German apprenticeships take on too few minority candidates

Ethnic minorities in Germany are far less likely to obtain apprenticeship placements than the average population.

A survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation showed that over 60% of companies which offer apprenticeships have never hired an apprentice from an ethnic minority, and only 15% of such companies are currently working with at least one.

This is in spite of the fact that a quarter of Germans aged 16–25 come from minority backgrounds.

Germany enjoys one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in Europe, at 7.4% compared to the EU average of 21.9%. It also benefits from one of the most effective naturalization systems for migrants.

However, language deficiencies were among the reasons cited for not hiring minority candidates, suggesting that more active integration policies may be necessary. Paul Spoonley writes about the need for effective integration of migrant and minority workers, which is often challenged by populist anxieties about diversity. He says that policies should aim to support intercultural dialogue, as well as adopting anti-discrimination laws and promoting language training.

Ken Clark also discusses the low employment rates among ethnic minority workers, as well as the significantly high proportion of self-employed minority workers. He believes these two trends may have a causal relationship, suggesting that fewer workers would be "pushed" into self-employment if other paid employment opportunities were made more accessible.

Read more here.

Related articles:
Superdiversity, social cohesion, and economic benefits, by Paul Spoonley
Ethnic minority and self-employment, by Ken Clark
Slavery, racial inequality, and education, by Graziella Bertocchi