13/09/2017

ECRE Paper: The Right to Work for Beneficiaries of International Protection

In December 2016 ECRE released the paper The Right to Work for Beneficiaries of International Protection



The ability to engage in decent work is a fundamental human right, integral to human dignity and self-respect. Failure to ensure proper access to the labour market hinders the ability of a beneficiary of international protection to successfully integrate into their new society, and leaves them at risk of destitution. It may also result beneficiaries of international protection engaging in unauthorized work in dangerous and degrading conditions, or their unauthorized onward secondary movement.



As a result, it is essential to ensure beneficiaries of international protection are given effective access to the labour market. In order to effectively enjoy the right to work, individuals not only need effective access to the labour market, but also access to vocational training courses and to have their qualifications recognised in a reasonable period of time. Studies have revealed that when beneficiaries of international protection initially enter the labour market they frequently only have access to jobs subsidised by the State and/or requiring a lower level of qualifications or skills.

Vocational training can ensure that beneficiaries can update or transfer their skills that are more suitable to the labour market in their new host state and gain nationally recognised qualifications. The focus of this note will be on the beneficiaries of international protection access to the labour market and to access to procedures for the recognition of qualifications. It will not examine the specific difficulties asylum seekers face as this is documented elsewhere.

The paper examines the international and European standards, with particular attention paid to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, that can be invoked to ensure actual access the labour market. 

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