Photo Gallery Condemned to Idleness
Leila Maghadam, 33, an Iranian native, applied for asylum in Germany in October 2013 for religious reasons. After completing training, she now works at a bakery located around 30 minutes from Dresden.
Germany is expecting up to 800,000 refugees this year, and many businesses and lobbying organizations argue the country's labor laws should be changed so that these migrants can get better access to jobs. The business community argues they can help solve Germany's demographic problems with a graying society and also help to ensure long-term economic growth and prosperity.
Jacob Sousani had his own hair salon in Damascus, Syria, before he fled. He has now found a job at an upscale hair salon in Dresden. "I didn't think anyone would ever hire me," the 31-year-old says. Sousani says he doesn't want to talk about what happened to the rest of his sibblings back home.
