Antecedents of job search self-efficacy of Syrian refugees in Greece and the Netherlands

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to investigate the relationships among psychological resources, career barriers, and job search self-efficacy in a sample of post-2014 Syrian refugees. Participants included 330 refugees in Greece and the Netherlands. Data were obtained using paper-based surveys, with all measures translated into Arabic. Drawing from career construction theory (Savickas, 2005), we hypothesized that adaptive readiness, operationalized in terms of psychological capital, would be positively related to job search self-efficacy through career adaptability. In addition, social and administrative career barriers were hypothesized to moderate the first stage of the indirect effect between psychological capital and job search self-efficacy, such that this relationship is weaker when refugees experience higher career barriers. Results indicated that individuals with higher psychological capital more confidently engaged in job search behavior in the destination country, mostly due to their enhanced career adaptability. However, this relationship weakened when participants experienced higher social barriers and strengthened when they experienced higher administrative barriers. The findings provide further support for the career construction model of adaptation (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012) and pinpoint career adapt-ability resources as critical self-regulatory strengths that help individuals in this particularly vulnerable group adapt to occupational transitions. Moreover, the results highlight the potentially detrimental role of social barriers in this process. Based on the results, we offer implications for formulating training and career construction theory-based career counseling focused on enhancing career adaptability and psychological capital.

Unveiling theCanvas Ceiling: A Multidisciplinary Literature Review of Refugee Employment and Workforce Integration

“…Recent research emphasizes the importance of psychological well‐being in refugees’ employment‐seeking journey, because it influences job‐search self‐efficacy (Pajic et al . 2018). Similarly, resilience is vital in building career adaptability (Obschonka et al .…”

Psychological individual differences as predictors of refugees’ local language proficiency

“…A possible explanation for this is that refugees who seek a job are more motivated to learn the local language. Correspondingly, recent findings on Syrian refugees in the Netherlands and in Greece showed that job search self-efficacy-the belief that one is competent in searching for and finding employment (Saks & Ashforth, 1999)-is positively correlated with local language proficiency (Pajic, Ulceluse, Kismihók, Mol, & den Hartog, 2018). Research has also shown that immigrants' employment history is a predictor of local language proficiency (Beiser & Hou, 2000).…”

Exploring Employability Constructions of Migrants in Sweden and Potential Consequences for Labour Market Entrance Recommendations

“…Previous research has shown the importance of employment for social inclusion and integration of migrants (e.g., Aslan et al 2018;van Riemsdijk et al 2016), and public officials can play an important role in facilitating the process towards gaining employment (Aslan et al 2019;Eggenhofer-Rehart et al 2018;Pajic et al 2018). An individual's perception of their employment opportunities is influenced by a number of aspects, among them ascriptions of employability, suggested guidance and information provided by government officials, Public Employment Service representatives, and recruitment agents.…”

“…It also appears more or less impossible to navigate through this process, and search for personally relevant information, without some knowledge of how Swedish society and institutions of importance function. While public officials are important as sources of information and support in the process towards gaining employment (Aslan et al 2019;Eggenhofer-Rehart et al 2018;Pajic et al 2018), information should be accessible without the need for any extensive support. This is indicated by the translation of many of the webpages into the most common languages among migrants, and explicit statements that Swedish is not a prerequisite for certain training programmes.…”

“…For newly arrived migrants, their ways of constructing their own employability in a new context can be very challenging, especially if the cultural norms in the old and new country differ greatly (Eggenhofer-Rehart et al 2018). Various intermediaries and gatekeepers in the labour market can play an important role in this process, but they can also restrict the reformulation of employability and social capital (Aslan et al 2019;Eggenhofer-Rehart et al 2018;Pajic et al 2018).…”