Young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds lack the social capital to access labour market

A recent paper from the Australian Center for Cultural Youth argues that a crucial link (social capital) is missing to allow for the access of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to the labour market.

This paper aims to develop a deeper understanding of the way in which young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds experience social capital in relation to work transitions in Australia, particularly for those who are tertiary educated. This is with the intention of exploring how best to support the breadth and quality of young people’s networks to facilitate the transition to meaningful work. Access to bridging capital for the purposes of employment is an issue of equity – an essential link that is often missing for young people with a refugee or migrant experience.

Legal work rights for refugees in Malaysia is a first positive step forward

Legal work rights for refugees in Malaysia is a positive step forward but they must be offered adequate protections for the scheme to succeed long-term writes Gerhard Hoffstaedter on the Asia & the Pacific policy society blog.

Several news outlets have reported on a pilot scheme to provide work rights to 300 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. This scheme is a cooperation between the Malaysian government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). It has been long in the making and refugee advocates, as well as the UNHCR, have been arguing for more regularisation of refugees in Malaysia for a long time.

The announcement comes at a time of escalating violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar and reports of ethnic cleansing. The Malaysian government’s approach to the plight of the Rohingya has long been guided by the ASEAN policy of non-interference. However, last week the government demanded action from Myanmar in a public statement and summoned the Myanmar ambassador to convey their message.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention or protocol and therefore does not recognise refugees legally. The UNHCR is allowed to register refugees on the understanding that the majority are to be resettled to safe third countries, such as the US, Australia, Canada and European countries. Currently, over 150,000 refugees are registered by the UNHCR with many more remaining unregistered and very vulnerable.

The UNHCR does not have sufficient means to look after so many refugees, which necessitates their employment in often dirty, dangerous and demeaning occupations. Without outside help, refugees turn to the large Malaysian shadow economy, where they find badly-paid work, are often cheated out of their wages, or worse. When accidents happen, entire families can become destitute overnight as few have health insurance or access to workers’ compensation schemes.

How are refugees faring on the labour market in Europe?

The OECD & European Commission recently released a working paper based on a 2014 Labour Force Survey. It answers 2 simple questions: who are the migrants who come for humanitarian reasons to Europe and how are they doing on the labour market, education, language and culture.Those questions have particular relevance in the current situation, but are notoriously hard to answer, as refugees gradually ‘disappear’ in migration and integration statistics when gradually settling in. This first evaluation provides key findings which can inform current policy debates.

Employment
Refugees represent one of the most vulnerable groups of migrants on the labour market. With an overall average employment rate of 56%, it takes refugees up to 20 years to have a similar employment rate as the native-born. Family migrants achieve comparable results, while persons arriving for employment or study purposes reach this level at the latest after 9 years.