Deutsche Bahn Accelerates Refugee Recruitment with Innovative Measures

Deutsche Bahn is intensifying its efforts to recruit refugees, shifting into high gear with targeted measures to facilitate employment, particularly for Ukrainian refugees.

For the first time, DB is offering group-wide language courses before training commences. An updated landing page, available in Ukrainian and Russian, streamlines the application process. The successful lateral entry classes will be expanded, and for the first time, positions for English-speaking IT experts will be filled. Collaborating closely with the Federal Employment Agency, DB employs “matching” techniques to identify priority regions with high recruitment needs and suitable candidates.

DB Human Resources Director Martin Seiler commented, “In response to the brutal war in Ukraine, we assembled a substantial aid package and have since advised thousands of refugees, hiring many. With more Ukrainians now entering the job market after completing integration courses, we’re ramping up our efforts to expedite their employment, further contributing to successful integration.”

Seiler’s remarks came during a joint visit with Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil to the ICE plant in Berlin-Rummelsburg, where several Ukrainians are now employed as electronics technicians.

Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, stated, “Putin’s horrific war forced millions to flee their homes. It was our humanitarian duty to offer them sanctuary, and it’s now sensible to help them find employment. We’ve already placed 140,000 Ukrainians in jobs. Another 200,000 are completing or have completed integration language courses. Our job turbo aims to quickly match them with employment opportunities. We need companies like Deutsche Bahn, who are committed to giving these individuals a chance and pragmatically overcoming language barriers.”

DB’s Job-Turbo measures for refugees include:

• “Matching”: Regional job centers of the Federal Employment Agency and DB have pinpointed areas with high hiring needs and potential applicants. Upcoming joint consultation events will inform interested parties about DB employment opportunities.
• Starting next year, DB will offer language courses in a pilot project before training begins.
• Expansion of successful projects: lateral entry classes for onboard catering stewards, dispatchers, train drivers, and bus drivers, and plans to hire English-speaking IT experts.

• The updated landing page allows job filtering in Ukrainian and Russian, simplifying the application process in native languages.
• Deutsche Bahn, one of Germany’s top employers, has hired about 130,000 new employees in the past five years. This year, DB continues its significant recruitment drive, focusing on labor market potential and refugee integration to strengthen the railway sector.

Source: Deutsche Bahn