Background information:

Labour market integration is a crucial aspect of migrant integration and successful engagement in society. This is not only due to its role in providing economic independence but also because it has an impact on the health and overall well-being of the migrants. The importance of migrant integration in the labour market is notably more urgent considering the current labour and skills shortages across EMN Member States which, according to the 2023 Eurochambres economic survey i.a., will lead to an increased reliance on third-country nationals to address these shortages.

Over the period from 2017 to 2022, there were over three million applications for international protection, with the highest number recorded in 2022. The majority of these applicants were of working age, indicating a potential labour force for EMN Member Countries' job markets.

Benchmark paper with a focus on the situation in Belgium:

The benchmark compares the situation in Belgium and that of other EU Member States related to integrating international protection applicants into the job market. It focuses on the existing framework to regulate access to the labour market and the available policies and support measures to enhance labour market integration and self-employment.

This paper inter alia highlights that:

• In BE, and similarly in five other countries, access to the labour market for applicants for international protection is governed by the general legislation framework on employment applicable to all third-country nationals residing in the country. 
   
• BE is the only country in which the waiting time to enter the labour market is four months (except in the case of self-employment), with nine countries having a shorter waiting period, and 13 countries having a longer waiting period. 
   
• In BE, access to the labour market is automatically granted at the end of the waiting period (except in the case of self-employment) if, within those four months, they have not received a negative first-instance decision from the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons. Automatic access to employment is also applicable in six other countries. The other respondent countries have defined additional requirements that must be met before applicants can access the labour market.
   
• BE is one of ten countries having targeted strategies to support the labour market integration of third-country nationals, which encompass applicants for international protection. The former Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration published a policy note in 2021 containing a new section dedicated to the activation of applicants for international protection and the reinforcement of their skills and employability. A new department was also created at the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil), which formulated an action plan focused on the labour market integration of applicants for international protection.

For further details, please read the benchmark paper attached above.

EU study:

The EU study offers an analysis of how EMN Member Countries are supporting the integration of applicants for international protection in the labour market.

The EU study inter alia shows that:

• Between 2017 and 2022, most EMN Member Countries allow a shorter waiting period, of six months or less. This is primarily due to allowing applicants to become self-sufficient and to integrate more quickly if and when they are granted international protection.
   
• Restrictions on labour market access include authorization requirements, labour market tests, and restrictions on certain sectors. 
   
• Eleven EMN Member Countries have identified successful approaches to integrating applicants for international protection into the labour market. These practices typically involve vocational education, language training, and skills assessment.
   
• Concerns persist about potential abuse of the asylum system and the risk of applicants for international protection facing precarious work conditions and workplace discrimination.
   
• Challenges, mostly of a practical nature, were also identified when seeking employment opportunities. The language barrier is widely reported as the primary obstacle, followed by difficulties in recognising qualifications. In certain countries, applicants for international protection encountered practical difficulties due to the complexity and uncertainty surrounding specific administrative procedures required for labour market access. Furthermore, legislative challenges are encountered by applicants in certain EMN Member Countries, such as the requirement of additional documentation beyond what is specified in national legislation and discrepancies in defining the waiting period as stated in national laws.

For detailed information, please read the full study. For a more synthetic overview, please read the Inform or the Flash on the integration of applicants for international protection in the labour market.