ANADOLU•GETTY Refugees hoping to reach Germany hold an EU flag

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Last month Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel decided to open the country's borders to people fleeing war-torn Syria. But many of the new arrivals will depend on welfare and contribute little to the economy leaving Germans to pick up the tab, economist Bernd Raffelhuschen said. He also claimed the number of unemployed people will rise to 1.5million people – with 70 per cent of them also unqualified.

As a result he expects Germans to delay retirement until they are well into their 70s. Raffelhuschen also argued Germany – which is predicted to take 1.5million refugees from war-torn Syria this year – is "the only country in the world without immigration rules". He suggested it should follow the lead of the US, where would-be migrants are screened for job suitability can be refused entry, according to Breitbart.

ANADOLU•GETTY Germany is expected to take 1.5million refugees this year

Germany has already showed signs it is struggling to deal with the influx of refugees. Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's vice-chancellor, admitted the country was at "the limits of its capabilities" last month – as the border controls were temporarily put back in place. Earlier this week hundreds of asylum seekers were left waiting to be registered because of huge backlogs at Berlin's main refugee centre. A group of around 20 Syrians are even suing the German government because they had have to wait longer than a week. They cannot be granted access to government refugee shelters or benefits until their papers are processed.

GETTY Many refugees are reaching western Europe via the Balkans

GETTY A sign reading 'Merkel must go' at a protest in Magdeburg, Germany

And parents in the city of Lubeck were left furious after a school told their children to cook and clean for refugees at an asylum centre. A mother wrote on Facebook: "I am definitely not a hater and am really tolerant, but this is taking things too far. "Is there a new subject in Lubeck's schools called servitude?"