Language Training and Economic Integration of Refugees

I've written before on this idea of "language as a throughline" for a successful re-location. It's the best way to signal thoughtful immigration, assimilate, find a job, etc. It's also why, in general, I'm supportive of governments raising language requirements (when combined with access to language classes).

There are lots of wrinkles and nuances around how governments rollout language classes, and I read an interesting study this morning that had a success and failure case from Germany's handling of language classes during the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015.

In 2015, Germany rapidly rolled out a 320-hour "Introductory Course" for over 230,000 refugees. A regression discontinuity design showed it had no discernible effect on employment rates in the two years following arrival.

By contrast, the preexisting "Integration Course," which is more intensive (600 hours) and follows a standardized curriculum, increased refugee employment by approximately 4 to 5 percentage points one year after enrollment.

The authors called out in particular:

• A critical flaw in the short course was the lack of a recognized certificate. Without it, refugees could not "credibly signal" their new skills to employers, making the training economically invisible.
• Prioritizing quantity (reaching the most people quickly) over quality (comprehensive, certified training) is a policy error. The shorter program cost €400 million but yielded zero economic return.

The first point is super interesting, because the 320-hour course lacked certification, the market treated those learners exactly the same as those who had zero training. In the eyes of an employer, you either have the certificate (1) or you don't (0), there is no credit for being halfway there.

That doesn't mean there's no point in learning a language! There are dozens of studies out there proving the usefulness, or essential nature, of learning the local language when it comes to social belonging, navigating essential services, etc. But for the purposes of finding a job, make sure you get the certification at the end of all your hard work.