Predictors of employment status: A study of former refugee communities in Australia

Abstract

Objective There is substantial evidence that refugees' employment experiences are marred by a range of hurdles as they settle in their host country. This study investigated the relationship between a range of independent variables such as, demographic factors, acculturation, acculturative stress, and resilience and the dependent variable that is the employment status of former refugees. Method Questionnaire data were gathered from 169 participants from the Ethiopian, Congolese, and Myanmar communities settled in Brisbane, Australia. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to investigate the factors that predicted employment status. Results Resilience and demographic variables such as age, education, gender, and country of origin were not associated with being employed. Length of stay and English proficiency increased the likelihood of being employed. Surprisingly, an increase in acculturation was associated with the likelihood of being unemployed, while an increase in acculturative stress was associated with the likelihood of being employed. Conclusions These findings indicate that unemployed participants perceived themselves to be acculturated and integrated, while those who were employed reported more acculturative stress. Furthermore, employment despite its positive impact can also be stressful. The study has practical and theoretical implications for stakeholders involved in the employment of refugees.

Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Amongst Afghan and Iraqi Refugees in Australia: Understanding Predictors Five Years Post Resettlement

“…These findings are inconsistent with previous research, which has found that refugees who were more acculturated to the host culture were more likely to endorse seeking professional support for mental health problems [29]. However, previous studies have found that less acculturated refugees who experienced greater acculturative stress where more likely to have poorer mental health [53,54]. Therefore, it may be plausible in our study that those refugees who were less acculturated were experiencing poorer mental health and, thus, as suggested in Anderson's health care utilisation model, had a greater need for professional help [18].…”

“…A possible explanation for our contrasting results could be that refugees who were experiencing financial difficulties, language barriers, and difficulties navigating the new social systems were receiving support from other social services. It is possible that they were identified as needing psychological help in the context of other support services and had been linked with mental health professionals [53]. These findings imply that additional efforts are required to promote mental health services amongst refugees who are not in contact with other social services.…”

Extended Case Management Services Among Resettled Refugees in the United States

“…Individual skills and resources such as English proficiency and education also affect post-resettlement economic outcomes. English language proficiency was generally associated with higher rates of employment (Capps et al, 2015; Fang et al, 2018; Khawaja & Hebbani, 2018; Khawaja et al, 2019; Wachter et al, 2016), though in some settings English ability was less salient in predicting economic outcomes (Correa-Velez et al, 2015). Higher levels of education were also associated with being employed (Capps et al, 2015; Kaida et al, 2019; Senthanar at al., 2020), though among some resettled populations the effects of education on employment were mixed or associated with reduced earnings and downward mobility (Creese & Wiebe, 2012; Hou, 2020; Khawaja & Hebbani, 2018; Khawaja et al, 2019).…”

“…English language proficiency was generally associated with higher rates of employment (Capps et al, 2015; Fang et al, 2018; Khawaja & Hebbani, 2018; Khawaja et al, 2019; Wachter et al, 2016), though in some settings English ability was less salient in predicting economic outcomes (Correa-Velez et al, 2015). Higher levels of education were also associated with being employed (Capps et al, 2015; Kaida et al, 2019; Senthanar at al., 2020), though among some resettled populations the effects of education on employment were mixed or associated with reduced earnings and downward mobility (Creese & Wiebe, 2012; Hou, 2020; Khawaja & Hebbani, 2018; Khawaja et al, 2019). Though contexts vary, English skills and education often facilitate stable, higher-income employment with opportunities for professional advancement (Arafah, 2017; Capps et al, 2015; Connor, 2010; Fang et al, 2018; Interiano-Shiverdecker et al, 2020; Khawaja & Hebbani, 2018; Potocky-Tripodi, 2003; Senthanar et al, 2020).…”

“We will start building from that”: Social capital, social networks and African migrants’ job‐seeking experiences in Australia

“…Further, these statistics do not capture the quality and suitability of the jobs and/or potential problems of underemployment for those with jobs, likely to be a key problem given that deskilling in the Australian labour market is more pronounced for “visibly different” migrants (cf. Colic‐Peisker & Tilbury, 2006; Khawaja et al, 2019).…”