How can the state promote integration? If you ask Burgenland, the easternmost of Austria's nine states, the answer is forced labour. Yes, you read that right. Since 1 July, asylum seekers have been obliged to work without remuneration for the community they live in, for example, in winter road clearance, maintenance of public parks, or in elderly homes.

Refusing to comply twice can result in losing your social welfare benefits. However, thanks to the legal system, asylum seekers cannot be cut off entirely from state support, which still grants them basic medical care, food, and a place to sleep.

Similar measures were implemented last year in Thuringia, Germany. Their effectiveness is questionable: doing community work means less time to look for a regular paid job, essentially ”locking” migrants in the precarious work positions. Additionally, compulsory work schemes are detrimental to the migrants' language skills development, as they don't get many opportunities at work to communicate with native speakers.

It's a paradoxical situation: asylum seekers are not allowed to take up a regular job despite wanting to do so, yet they can be forced to work without financial compensation. The EU passed a ban on forced labour late last year. However, critics point to its limitations when it comes to undocumented migrants, who may not report forced labour as they fear it might hurt their immigration status.