"There is often fear on the part of the companies"
It's one of society's major problems: The economy is constantly short of personnel, many refugees are unemployed. Zarah Bruhn wants to bring both sides together with her startup Socialbee. In the podcast "Now, let's be honest", she talks about prejudices and requirements.
It's one of society's major problems: The economy is constantly short of personnel, many refugees are unemployed. Zarah Bruhn wants to change that with her startup Socialbee: "The skills shortage by 2035 is glaring. Seven million people will leave the labor market," she warns in the ntv podcast "Startup - Now, let's be honest". In the battle for economic talent, she teaches companies to break free from the German language and refugees to adopt German values.
ntv.de: Why are you trying to bring refugees into work with your startup?
Zarah Bruhn: Eight years ago, I came across a shocking figure: Despite great promises, only four refugees had been hired by 29 DAX companies by 2016. I thought it couldn't go on like this, that we had to help the companies and I wanted to found an organization that would relieve companies of the extra workload and remove hurdles and bureaucracy, so that they could hire on a large scale. That's how the idea for Socialbee was born.
The German economy is short of personnel on the one hand, and on the other, there are many refugees who are unemployed. Why don't these worlds come together?
The skills shortage by 2035 is glaring. Seven million people will leave the labor market. Migration is the only way to mitigate the demographic change, at least to some extent. But if you look at the companies, many of them simply don't invest consistently in topics like diversity or immigration, let alone adapt their recruiting processes. They have to, because not everyone will speak German, many will speak English. For example, we've worked with large consulting firms that want to hire refugees and ask questions like: Do they have a German degree? How good were their grades in university? They're afraid they'll hire worse candidates if they adjust their standards. That's a prejudice, especially in highly qualified jobs. With Socialbee, we're a bridge-builder that companies trust. We've already recruited over 10,000 people.
But you can't just blame the companies. What about the political framework conditions and the refugees themselves?
When we started Socialbee, the political regulations were still very chaotic. There are restrictions for people in the asylum procedure. We help with the bureaucracy. But by now, we have many people with unrestricted access to the labor market who can work. But often, there's fear on the companies' side: How long can they stay? What's going on in Afghanistan? In Nigeria? With our startup, we can provide the necessary knowledge. The cases where someone's work permit is revoked or someone is deported are less than one or two percent of the cases we work with.
Between January and August 2023, more than 204,000 people filed a first-time asylum application. That was 77 percent more than the previous year and the highest in the EU. But you can't work with all of them, can you?
Yes, the numbers are rising again. But the Ukrainian refugees didn't have many restrictions on the labor market. It was more about language, qualifications, or family support and care. We try to find the right candidates for companies. Right now, we have many qualified people. In our Female Accelerator Program, we qualify refugees to become project managers. For 20 places, almost 300 women applied who hadn't had a chance in Germany before and had to clean.
Do only the companies have to adapt, or do the refugees too?
Both sides have to adapt.
Sure, refugees need to learn the language, develop cultural understanding, and often declare their allegiance to our values. The more qualified they are, the faster they'll progress. Those who have learned simpler tasks may take longer. We need to guide them. Employers can also play a role, especially with language: You must know good German for the job; we'd like you to take a language course. They have more influence than you might think. We also have trainings here to sensitize refugees on how to interact with women. Many companies also say refugees should be sensitized to topics like antisemitism. That's also a selection criterion for us. Only those who pass their courses are placed. Only those who attend language courses stay in the job long-term. It's important to offer incentives, but also make demands.
Janna Linke spoke with Zarah Bruhn. You can listen to the conversation on the ntv podcast "Startup - Now tell me honestly".
The issue of unemployment among refugees is a significant concern, given the constant personnel shortage in the economy. Zarah Bruhn aims to bridge this gap with Socialbee, stating, "We want to help companies adopt more open recruitment practices and equip refugees with the necessary skills and language abilities to succeed in their respective roles."
In addressing the question of why companies and refugees aren't joining forces to tackle the labor market issue, Zarah Bruhn highlights the need for both sides to adapt. She emphasizes, "Refugees need to learn the language, develop cultural understanding, and sometimes declare their allegiance to our values. At the same time, companies can play a role by offering language courses and ensuring a positive work environment, especially when it comes to issues like antisemitism."
