German trades boss urges Syrians to stay after rebel victory

Amid calls by German politicians for thousands of Syrian migrants to return to their homeland after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, skilled trades employers want their Syrian employees to stay, reported dpa.

"We should be happy about everyone who has integrated," Jörg Dittrich, President of the Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), said in Friday's edition of the Rheinische Post newspaper.

"Employers in the skilled trades expect to be able to continue to employ their Syrian employees permanently and reliably as important skilled workers."

Many companies trained people at great expense and such workers are still desperately needed, noted Dittrich.

According to the Interior Ministry, around 975,000 Syrians currently live in Germany. Most arrived from 2015 due to the Syrian civil war. Their employment rate is currently around 40%.

However, since rebel forces ousted al-Assad in early December, leading figures on the German right, from the conservative opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), have been encouraging Syrians to return home.

Following a visit by a German delegation to Damascus, the Development Ministry has warned against state-organized repatriations to the country.

The humanitarian situation remains poor, and there is also the threat of new conflicts within the country during the transition process, according to the ministry.