German regional newspapers including the Südwest Presse (Ulm), Märkische Oderzeitung (Frankfurt/O) and Lausitzer Rundschau (Cottbus) mentioned RFBerlin research by Mette Foged, Karen-Inge Karstoft and Edith Zink. Their Discussion Paper “PTSD and refugees’ underemployment: Evidence from displaced Ukrainians”, which is also released as a RFBerlin Research Insight, examines how PTSD creates persistent barriers to refugee employment.
Foged emphasized that “we have a problem here and still no policy to address it”, noting that while trauma likely affects many refugees, it often takes years before authorities investigate whether mental health issues contribute to persistent unemployment. She also highlights the need for early intervention: “A first step could be providing job center staff with guidelines on what PTSD is and how to better support affected individuals.” This relatively low-cost measure has already been implemented in Denmark.
The study underscores the gap in current integration policy, which focuses heavily on language training and job placement while overlooking mental health as a barrier to employment.
