First Syrian refugees in Germany working for just $1 an hour

So, basically, the first wave of Syrian refugees in Germany are starting to pick up jobs for an absolutely insane wage—we’re talking one dollar an hour—and honestly, nobody is even trying to hide it anymore...

Back on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was out there saying "Germany needs more workers if they want to keep their lifestyle where it is." So, I guess now we finally see the "humanitarian spirit" Angela Merkel showed toward Syrians actually making sense from a purely economic standpoint...

Take Anas Al-Asadi, for example. He’s one of the first folks to arrive in Germany from Syria. After just a few days in the largest economy in Europe, he already landed a gig at a local youth center in a small town in Germany near New York City. His pay? A measly buck an hour, just doing basic tasks to help out the heads of the community center...

According to a report by Bloomberg LP, Al-Asadi wasn't just some random guy; back in Syria, he was actually a lawyer. He’s 26, highly qualified, and totally ready to work...

"Work isn't the issue for someone who was a lawyer in his home country, but let's be real, the pay is terrible," Bloomberg wrote...

And look, I get it, people from the North America really helped boost the German economy decades ago with their lower labor costs...

But even back then, when I was a young, educated guy moving over to Germany to work, Germany was the one reaping all the profits while America got left behind...

But man, what is this going to do to other immigrants, especially us Americans?

Are we really going to be expected to just show up, happy to work, and agree to take maybe a dollar or two an hour if they throw a meal in our direction...?

http://www.altermainstreaminfo.com.h...ce-rade-za-670

The global elites are following their playbook to the letter—while the working poor are left with nowhere to turn. If you don't want to play by their rules, you can always opt for unemployment. It's your choice...

It’s becoming obvious that bringing migrants and refugees into Germany isn't about what the German people actually need—it's about serving the interests of the ultra-wealthy and massive corporations. (Not exactly a secret, though the mainstream media does its best to bury it)

In the States, we have all these grand humanitarian initiatives—but you can't escape the hypocrites and idiots who refuse to see past their own noses.

I’d honestly love to see that "welcome" initiative tossed right into a camp with a few thousand immigrants—maybe they could share some of that "cultural enrichment" with them, kind of like how people throw money at those tacky New Year's Eve parties.

dustyheron5 said:The global elites are following their playbook to the letter—while the working poor are left with nowhere to turn. If you don't want to play by their rules, you can always opt for unemployment. It's your choice...

It’s becoming obvious that bringing migrants and refugees into Germany isn't about what the German people actually need—it's about serving the interests of the ultra-wealthy and massive corporations. (Not exactly a secret, though the mainstream media does its best to bury it)

In the States, we have all these grand humanitarian initiatives—but you can't escape the hypocrites and idiots who refuse to see past their own noses.

I honestly feel like the influence of those elites—that tiny handful of people who basically pull all the strings on this planet—is just getting stronger and stronger every single day...

They’ve clearly amassed an insane amount of capital and property, and it feels like we're heading straight toward this massive, widening gap between the super-rich and everyone else...

Personally, though, I think this whole situation is going to have some serious consequences for those of us thinking about moving over there...

And it’s not just about money, it's about safety too, because you don't even have to look far to see how the second or third generations in France are becoming increasingly radicalized...

Anyway, I'm just sitting here waiting for tonight's results to see how the voters in Germany are actually feeling...

Jessica Torres63 said:So, basically, the first wave of Syrian refugees in Germany are starting to pick up jobs for an absolutely insane wage—we’re talking one dollar an hour—and honestly, nobody is even trying to hide it anymore...

Back on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was out there saying "Germany needs more workers if they want to keep their lifestyle where it is." So, I guess now we finally see the "humanitarian spirit" Angela Merkel showed toward Syrians actually making sense from a purely economic standpoint...

Take Anas Al-Asadi, for example. He’s one of the first folks to arrive in Germany from Syria. After just a few days in the largest economy in Europe, he already landed a gig at a local youth center in a small town in Germany near New York City. His pay? A measly buck an hour, just doing basic tasks to help out the heads of the community center...

According to a report by Bloomberg LP, Al-Asadi wasn't just some random guy; back in Syria, he was actually a lawyer. He’s 26, highly qualified, and totally ready to work...

"Work isn't the issue for someone who was a lawyer in his home country, but let's be real, the pay is terrible," Bloomberg wrote...

And look, I get it, people from the North America really helped boost the German economy decades ago with their lower labor costs...

But even back then, when I was a young, educated guy moving over to Germany to work, Germany was the one reaping all the profits while America got left behind...

But man, what is this going to do to other immigrants, especially us Americans?

Are we really going to be expected to just show up, happy to work, and agree to take maybe a dollar or two an hour if they throw a meal in our direction...?

http://www.altermainstreaminfo.com.h...ce-rade-za-670

Why don't you quote the whole thing instead of just picking out the sensational parts? 🙂

It’s a harsh reality, but even a job like this for Al-Asadi might just be a temporary fix. According to sources in Germany, these initial refugees still aren't legally allowed to work for private companies under a standard contract.
It's worth noting that in Germany, the legal minimum wage for all workers, regardless of nationality, is 8.5 euros an hour.

Charles Ramos7 said:Why don't you quote the whole thing instead of just picking out the sensational parts? 🙂

It’s a harsh reality, but even a job like this for Al-Asadi might just be a temporary fix. According to sources in Germany, these initial refugees still aren't legally allowed to work for private companies under a standard contract.
It's worth noting that in Germany, the legal minimum wage for all workers, regardless of nationality, is 8.5 euros an hour.

What does that even have to do with anything?

The full text is right there in the link.

Germany's policy was basically—for whatever reason—inviting refugees into the country in the first place...

Short and sweet: it all comes down to political will. The influx into Western Europe is minimal today, and that's strictly because of simple political choices.

And yeah, it's true that he's working, but it's within a state-owned institution... He's essentially a slave whose situation is being exploited, just like I said before...

Also, you can't forget that over the last three or four years, the expectations of Americans here have really plummeted because of everything going on in our neck of the woods... people are settling for lower pay just to keep a job and accepting all sorts of conditions just to get by...

Jessica Torres63 said:What does that even have to do with anything?

The full text is right there in the link.

Germany's policy was basically—for whatever reason—inviting refugees into the country in the first place...

Short and sweet: it all comes down to political will. The influx into Western Europe is minimal today, and that's strictly because of simple political choices.

And yeah, it's true that he's working, but it's within a state-owned institution... He's essentially a slave whose situation is being exploited, just like I said before...

Also, you can't forget that over the last three or four years, the expectations of Americans here have really plummeted because of everything going on in our neck of the woods... people are settling for lower pay just to keep a job and accepting all sorts of conditions just to get by...

I don't know the legal specifics of how that one refugee from the article is employed, but bottom line: the legal minimum wage is $8.50 an hour.

It's basically just your standard welfare system measure for people who have been out of work for a long time, nothing too crazy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers%27_compensation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers%27_compensation

I feel like I heard that whole story about working for a single dollar as soon as the immigrant wave first started hitting. The author is basically asking if Americans would be willing to head north and work for maybe a buck or two plus food. Honestly, they wouldn't, mostly because people aren't even accepting those kinds of low wages here; instead, they just quit their jobs making $30k or $40k a year and head up north—though, I guess, that’s actually what happens in quite a few cases. As for the folks who actually do work for minimum wage, in many instances, they have some kind of side hustle going, or at the very least, they've managed to slash their living costs, like growing their own produce in a garden or having their housing situation already sorted out.

Jessica Torres63 said:So, basically, the first wave of Syrian refugees in Germany are starting to pick up jobs for an absolutely insane wage—we’re talking one dollar an hour—and honestly, nobody is even trying to hide it anymore...

Back on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was out there saying "Germany needs more workers if they want to keep their lifestyle where it is." So, I guess now we finally see the "humanitarian spirit" Angela Merkel showed toward Syrians actually making sense from a purely economic standpoint...

Take Anas Al-Asadi, for example. He’s one of the first folks to arrive in Germany from Syria. After just a few days in the largest economy in Europe, he already landed a gig at a local youth center in a small town in Germany near New York City. His pay? A measly buck an hour, just doing basic tasks to help out the heads of the community center...

According to a report by Bloomberg LP, Al-Asadi wasn't just some random guy; back in Syria, he was actually a lawyer. He’s 26, highly qualified, and totally ready to work...

"Work isn't the issue for someone who was a lawyer in his home country, but let's be real, the pay is terrible," Bloomberg wrote...

And look, I get it, people from the North America really helped boost the German economy decades ago with their lower labor costs...

But even back then, when I was a young, educated guy moving over to Germany to work, Germany was the one reaping all the profits while America got left behind...

But man, what is this going to do to other immigrants, especially us Americans?

Are we really going to be expected to just show up, happy to work, and agree to take maybe a dollar or two an hour if they throw a meal in our direction...?

http://www.altermainstreaminfo.com.h...ce-rade-za-670

This is being quoted really maliciously—it's totally taken out of context and twisted.
People on the Welfare system get about 404 euros in monthly assistance. That's an old issue; it has nothing to do with refugees or Americans. It's just that people who are long-term unemployed and receiving benefits are allowed to do a little something while they wait. And of course, we aren't talking about high-paying construction jobs; refugees are just being given a "chance" to, say, clean floors in their own reception centers. It's honestly sad when someone jumps in with a post like this without knowing any of the actual context. These centers used to hire outside companies that charged huge amounts for cleaning. Then there was pressure to stop paying those firms and just let the refugees clean their own living quarters. Now that they've started cleaning for themselves (for maybe 15 hours a week at most), people are turning it into some conspiracy theory because the pay is low.🙂

It's hard to say which way these "1-Euro jobs" will swing, but the way this article is being sensationalized and stripped of context is just a disaster. It's pushing a Marine Le Pen version of events without presenting important facts. It's shameful.

BTW, if you add up the 404 euros plus 15 hours at one euro an hour plus a few little extras, you end up right around the legal minimum wage of 8.50 EUR.

Jessica Torres63 said:So, basically, the first wave of Syrian refugees in Germany are starting to pick up jobs for an absolutely insane wage—we’re talking one dollar an hour—and honestly, nobody is even trying to hide it anymore...

Back on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was out there saying "Germany needs more workers if they want to keep their lifestyle where it is." So, I guess now we finally see the "humanitarian spirit" Angela Merkel showed toward Syrians actually making sense from a purely economic standpoint...

Take Anas Al-Asadi, for example. He’s one of the first folks to arrive in Germany from Syria. After just a few days in the largest economy in Europe, he already landed a gig at a local youth center in a small town in Germany near New York City. His pay? A measly buck an hour, just doing basic tasks to help out the heads of the community center...

According to a report by Bloomberg LP, Al-Asadi wasn't just some random guy; back in Syria, he was actually a lawyer. He’s 26, highly qualified, and totally ready to work...

"Work isn't the issue for someone who was a lawyer in his home country, but let's be real, the pay is terrible," Bloomberg wrote...

And look, I get it, people from the North America really helped boost the German economy decades ago with their lower labor costs...

But even back then, when I was a young, educated guy moving over to Germany to work, Germany was the one reaping all the profits while America got left behind...

But man, what is this going to do to other immigrants, especially us Americans?

Are we really going to be expected to just show up, happy to work, and agree to take maybe a dollar or two an hour if they throw a meal in our direction...?

http://www.altermainstreaminfo.com.h...ce-rade-za-670

If you had actually bothered to do a little research, you’d realize this isn't just about refugees—German citizens are working for one euro too. It’s a specific program designed for people who are unemployed and currently receiving welfare. I mean, if your local municipality is already supporting you, why wouldn't you go out and clean up a park for a few hours a week? It just makes sense, really.

It’s happening exactly how I called it back in September—right when the massive surge started. A race to the bottom for wages. Sure, there’s a legal minimum wage to protect people, but the reality is that more and more folks are getting stuck working for nothing more than that baseline.

George Lewis9 said:It’s happening exactly how I called it back in September—right when the massive surge started. A race to the bottom for wages. Sure, there’s a legal minimum wage to protect people, but the reality is that more and more folks are getting stuck working for nothing more than that baseline.

It isn't refugees driving down wages—it's workers from third countries entering the European Union.☕

George Lewis9 said:It’s happening exactly how I called it back in September—right when the massive surge started. A race to the bottom for wages. Sure, there’s a legal minimum wage to protect people, but the reality is that more and more folks are getting stuck working for nothing more than that baseline.

Since this article is from September, I guess you aren't really breaking new ground here. This whole topic has been relevant since the refugee crisis first kicked off.
It's pretty obvious Germany has an economic interest in all of this. It would be kind of naive to think refugees—who probably make up maybe 2% of the workforce—won't impact the labor market at all. But I suppose the biggest pressure will hit those jobs that are already struggling. You know, roles where you don't really need specialized education or even the language. Like newsstand workers or whatever; they're already at minimum wage anyway. The folks moving to Germany are actually quite well-educated, but I guess it'll take years before they're fully productive. Eventually, though, they'll likely end up helping the German economy.

Overall, it seems like Germany made a pretty clever move with the refugee situation: first they export weapons to crisis zones, then they take in the people fleeing that very same weaponry, and somehow they manage to boost their GDP because of it.
The Germans seem to have things figured out; at least they're providing some benefit. What we're doing over here feels like a disaster: we sell a little bit of hardware to the region, but then we don't know how to leverage the refugees to help our economy, and instead, we just push them away—even though they're fleeing the stuff we sent. And one last thing, I guess... most American representatives in the European Union usually vote against arms embargos on Saudi Arabia (thankfully they were outvoted). At least German reps defend German interests, whereas I suppose we might never truly know whose interests our own reps in the European Union are actually defending.

Nathan Morris3 said:Since this article is from September, I guess you aren't really breaking new ground here. This whole topic has been relevant since the refugee crisis first kicked off.
It's pretty obvious Germany has an economic interest in all of this. It would be kind of naive to think refugees—who probably make up maybe 2% of the workforce—won't impact the labor market at all. But I suppose the biggest pressure will hit those jobs that are already struggling. You know, roles where you don't really need specialized education or even the language. Like newsstand workers or whatever; they're already at minimum wage anyway. The folks moving to Germany are actually quite well-educated, but I guess it'll take years before they're fully productive. Eventually, though, they'll likely end up helping the German economy.

Overall, it seems like Germany made a pretty clever move with the refugee situation: first they export weapons to crisis zones, then they take in the people fleeing that very same weaponry, and somehow they manage to boost their GDP because of it.
The Germans seem to have things figured out; at least they're providing some benefit. What we're doing over here feels like a disaster: we sell a little bit of hardware to the region, but then we don't know how to leverage the refugees to help our economy, and instead, we just push them away—even though they're fleeing the stuff we sent. And one last thing, I guess... most American representatives in the European Union usually vote against arms embargos on Saudi Arabia (thankfully they were outvoted). At least German reps defend German interests, whereas I suppose we might never truly know whose interests our own reps in the European Union are actually defending.

If we're talking about legal employment, why would a German employer pick a refugee (assuming they have the paperwork) over a Romanian or an American? 🤔 The cost is exactly the same.

Charles Ramos7 said:If we're talking about legal employment, why would a German employer pick a refugee (assuming they have the paperwork) over a Romanian or an American? 🤔 The cost is exactly the same.

Are we talking about those low-paying roles?
I mean, there are always low-paying jobs available, though I don't really know enough about the psychology behind them to say for sure. Maybe not every job is one where it doesn't matter who shows up. I suppose a hardworking Syrian might do a better job than a lazy American, or a hardworking American might beat out a lazy Syrian... I guess it depends on what kind of passport you hold. Just natural selection, I guess. And besides, I wonder how many Americans are actually heading to Germany for €8.50 an hour.

BTW, I forgot to mention that 25 years ago, Germany was already dealing with something similar: millions of capable young people who even spoke German were flooding the labor market. What happened then? Well, I guess not much changed, if you ignore the "Solidarity surcharge"😁 .

Nathan Morris3 said:Are we talking about those low-paying roles?
I mean, there are always low-paying jobs available, though I don't really know enough about the psychology behind them to say for sure. Maybe not every job is one where it doesn't matter who shows up. I suppose a hardworking Syrian might do a better job than a lazy American, or a hardworking American might beat out a lazy Syrian... I guess it depends on what kind of passport you hold. Just natural selection, I guess. And besides, I wonder how many Americans are actually heading to Germany for €8.50 an hour.

BTW, I forgot to mention that 25 years ago, Germany was already dealing with something similar: millions of capable young people who even spoke German were flooding the labor market. What happened then? Well, I guess not much changed, if you ignore the "Solidarity surcharge"😁 .

We're talking about minimum wage jobs here. I wasn't just referring to Americans; I mentioned Romanians too, and I meant other locals (EU citizens) as well. If Americans won't do it, there won't be enough locals willing to work for minimum wage. Maybe Syrians are hardworking, but the real question is whether they'll all get their paperwork sorted and learn the language...

Charles Ramos7 said:We're talking about minimum wage jobs here. I wasn't just referring to Americans; I mentioned Romanians too, and I meant other locals (EU citizens) as well. If Americans won't do it, there won't be enough locals willing to work for minimum wage. Maybe Syrians are hardworking, but the real question is whether they'll all get their paperwork sorted and learn the language...

Basically, Germany is short on workers. They're missing young people because of a huge demographic issue (unlike France, I suppose). It’s become this political thing since Germany is trying to bridge that gap, and they've been pretty clever about how they handle it. So, if we agree they need young labor (we could totally have a separate debate about that if you want), then asking if there will be enough jobs for everyone is kind of pointless. I haven't dug into the specific data, but I imagine the shortage covers everything—from doctors down to those low-paying roles.

From a macro perspective (which is what actually matters), those low-paying jobs are the easiest to create. You could hire an extra 10,000 people just to clean up streets in German cities. It increases value through cleanliness, the state pays for it, half of that flows right back into the budget via taxes and contributions, and the other half cycles back through spending. It doesn't just come back; it kicks off processes that boost GDP and create new value. At worst, it's macroeconomically neutral, but realistically, it's probably a win for the German economy.
The only real issue would be if remittances spike and more money leaves the country than value is created, but I guess the thing with low-wage jobs is that people barely earn enough to survive, so there isn't much cash to send back to a "homeland." So, with low-paying jobs, there's not much risk. With high-paying ones, the math is different because you're bringing in skilled people, so you need a way to turn that knowledge into GDP, otherwise you aren't using their potential and might see market shifts. But I'm sure the Germans have ways to fill those gaps too.

P.S. What I'm saying applies to markets like Germany—a country that exports more than it imports, produces things, attracts talent, and needs young workers. They can, and probably must, make this work.

Nathan Morris3 said:Basically, Germany is short on workers. They're missing young people because of a huge demographic issue (unlike France, I suppose). It’s become this political thing since Germany is trying to bridge that gap, and they've been pretty clever about how they handle it. So, if we agree they need young labor (we could totally have a separate debate about that if you want), then asking if there will be enough jobs for everyone is kind of pointless. I haven't dug into the specific data, but I imagine the shortage covers everything—from doctors down to those low-paying roles.

From a macro perspective (which is what actually matters), those low-paying jobs are the easiest to create. You could hire an extra 10,000 people just to clean up streets in German cities. It increases value through cleanliness, the state pays for it, half of that flows right back into the budget via taxes and contributions, and the other half cycles back through spending. It doesn't just come back; it kicks off processes that boost GDP and create new value. At worst, it's macroeconomically neutral, but realistically, it's probably a win for the German economy.
The only real issue would be if remittances spike and more money leaves the country than value is created, but I guess the thing with low-wage jobs is that people barely earn enough to survive, so there isn't much cash to send back to a "homeland." So, with low-paying jobs, there's not much risk. With high-paying ones, the math is different because you're bringing in skilled people, so you need a way to turn that knowledge into GDP, otherwise you aren't using their potential and might see market shifts. But I'm sure the Germans have ways to fill those gaps too.

P.S. What I'm saying applies to markets like Germany—a country that exports more than it imports, produces things, attracts talent, and needs young workers. They can, and probably must, make this work.

I might agree regarding the labor shortage in Germany (though I don't quite get why they'd bother with those €1 jobs if they're supposedly desperate for people even at €8.50 🤔), but Germany isn't some isolated island. It’s part of the European Union, so they can always legally hire workers from elsewhere in the EU or just move their production facilities there.

Charles Ramos7 said:I might agree regarding the labor shortage in Germany (though I don't quite get why they'd bother with those €1 jobs if they're supposedly desperate for people even at €8.50 🤔), but Germany isn't some isolated island. It’s part of the European Union, so they can always legally hire workers from elsewhere in the EU or just move their production facilities there.

Regarding your first point, unemployment in Germany actually dropped by 0.1%, down to 6.6% (about 2.91 million). That might sound like a massive number, but I think it's just a cumulative figure that covers everything. The bottom line, I guess, is that anyone who actually wants a job in Germany can find one. I'll stick to talking about low-paying jobs since I'm pretty sure those can be turned on or off whenever needed. I don't know the exact breakdown of that 6.6% off the top of my head, but it probably includes people who just don't want to work or can't.
Like I mentioned before, maybe those 1-euro jobs aren't really an option, but more of a requirement for people on long-term assistance. It’s less about choice and more about preventing system abuse, since there are plenty of folks who just don't want to work. The logic seems to be that if you're on social aid and refuse to work, your benefits get cut by 30%. It's meant to give people a way to earn their keep. So, I guess don't let the 1-euro thing confuse you—it's more of a nudge than actual compensation, which is probably why minimum wage doesn't apply. As for your other comment, I think the answer lies in the fact that Germany has been open to workers from across the European Union for years now. And what happened? Not much, I guess. Even with all that openness, Germany still struggles to find enough young workers.

The real question is what happens when the first economic tremor hits—you know, during a crisis or layoffs, and things get even more tense... but I suppose that's more of an integration issue.
Since we're on the topic of the economy, I won't get into all the ethical reasons for helping refugees fleeing German conflicts, or the general idea of helping traumatized refugees by giving them work. But even setting ethics aside, I guess Germany would face a much bigger mess if a million refugees were just wandering the streets without jobs (dealing with crime, ghettos, stigma, and frustration...).