Refugees in the UK Labour Market: The Conflict between Economic Integration and Policy-led Labour Market Restriction

Abstract

This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractThis article draws on data from a survey of 400 refugees and shows low levels of labour market activity. The minority of refugees who are working are in secondary sector jobs with little opportunity for progression. Moreover, refugees with high levels of skills who are working are not in jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. The article examines the human capacity and personal characteristics that have an impact on refugee employment, and finds the greatest difference in employment is between men and women, although English language fluency and training are also very important. Employment is a major part of the refugee integration strategy, and employment initiatives focus on capacity-building rather than discrimination or reversing restrictive policies. The article concludes that strategies need to focus on individual employability as well as measures to overcome personal and structural barriers to the labour market.This article examines the inherent contradiction between UK refugee integration strategies that focus on employment and, in particular, the employability of refugees, and restrictive government policies that negatively affect access to the labour market. The article argues that a real commitment to the economic integration of refugees requires a radical reform of recent policy that contributes to exclusion and underemployment. The article will first examine the position of employment in refugee integration policy. Secondly, the main factors that have an impact on refugee employment will be explored, and the importance of human capacity such as English language and refugees' personal characteristics will be highlighted. Thirdly, refugees' perceptions of their own barriers to the labour market which revolve around human capacity issues will be considered. Finally, the position of highly skilled refugees with English language fluency will be explored to show the ways in which refugee integration policy is not addressing their unemployment and underemployment because of the failure of policy to address discrimination and the ways in which current refugee policies add to economic exclusion.

The Integration of Forced Migrants Into the Italian Labor Market

“…Research on this topic is more common in such non-European countries as the United States (e.g., Connor, 2010;Hume & Hardwick, 2005), Canada (e.g., Aydemir, 2011;Codell, Hill, Woltz, & Gore, 2011;Wilkinson, 2008), and Australia (e.g., ColicPeisker & Tilbury, 2006;Hugo, 2011;Waxman, 2001). In Europe most studies have been conducted in long-established-immigrant-receiving countries such as Great Britain (Bloch, 2007;Hussein, Manthorpe, & Stevens, 2011;Lyon, Sepulveda, & Syrett, 2007), Sweden (Åslund,Östh, & Zenou, 2010;Bevelander, Hagstromand, & Ronnqvist, 2009), the Netherlands (De Vroome & Van Tubergen, 2010), and Belgium (Wauters & Lambrecht, 2008). An interesting point arising from these studies is that although there are substantial differences in the legislation in place, the welfare provision available, and the definition of forced migrants some findings concerning their living conditions are quite common.…”

Labour Force Participation and Employment of Humanitarian Migrants: Evidence from the Building a New Life in Australia Longitudinal Data

“…For instance, female and older refugees have been found to have weaker employment and earnings prospects (Husted et al 2001;Waxman 2001). In addition, the greatest difference in employment has been found between men and women (Bloch 2008). However, Connor (2010) did not find age to be a significant predictor of wages among refugees.…”

“…Human capital accumulated in host countries has been found to be important for immigrants (Friedberg 2000;Bloch 2008;Connor 2010;Fortin et al 2016) in existing studies, which have concluded that immigrants' economic success depends on how immigrant skills and experiences adapt to the host country's labour market (Chiswick 1978). We therefore consider the significance of post-immigration experience in unpaid work, completion of study/job training in Australia, and knowledge in local job hunting for participating in the labour force and finding a paid job.…”

People Seeking Asylum in Australia and their Access to Employment: Just What Do We Know?

“…A recurring theme in the UK literature is the high levels of education among forced migrants, although this was dependent on country of origin with migrants from Zimbabwe in particular having high education levels (Bloch 2006;Doyle 2009). Many forced migrants worked in professional roles in their home country yet were unable to enter the job market as professionals/specialists in the UK, and had experienced insecure, poorly paid employment and deskilling.…”