"It should be mandatory for all EU countries in future that asylum seekers are not allowed to work. Different regulations on this matter are not a good thing, and they send a wrong message to the origin countries of refugees," he told Die Welt.
He slammed the European Commission for proposing a blanket work permit for asylum seekers whose applications are likely to be upheld. The EU decision-making body said this would allow immigrants to provide for themselves.
"I believe it is unthinkable to give out work permits to asylum seekers. This will be like sending an invitation to people in crisis-ridden countries to come to Austria. Our labor market will not cope," he said.
The Commission said that asylum seekers should be allowed to earn their own money while their applications are being processed. It suggested recusing the time-limit for access to the labor market to no later than six months after the request has been lodged.
